Danganronpa X1: Despair from the Pages
by elusiveEmperor
Summary: The Tsubaki Academy is a prestigious school with a unique "scholarship" program. Serving as the inspiration for the Danganronpa series, Tsubaki is known for being able to discover and draw out the potential talent within every student; however, when 24 of its students are trapped in a real life Danganronpa Game, will they be able to trust in one another and escape alive? (SYOC)
1. Intro: Calm Before the Storm

_Despair. To most, it's an abstract concept: but in the world of Danganronpa, it is a quantifiable phenomenon. Right versus Wrong, Good versus Evil, Hope versus Despair. Reality isn't like that. Reality is a place of blurred boundaries, where right can be wrong, and where corruption can exist without hope for change. I don't want hope, I don't want despair. I want them both, to duke it out forever: the Infinite Danganronpa. Two absolutes fighting for eternity: I want to see despair win, and hope win. Reality's indecisive, it treats some like dirt and some like kings seemingly indiscriminately. That isn't fair. Fiction's better, with all it's twists and revelations: fiction is more exciting than reality. That's why I will bring it from the pages, "Danganronpa X1: The First of the Live Action Killing Games". It's already starting; the preparations are made, and the talents have been scouted._

 _Now all that's left... is the killing._

The Tsubaki Academy is now known worldwide. Prior to thirty years ago, it was an otherwise indistinct Private Academy in Japan with little to no recognition. Its students were not particularly inspired, and its alumni often led mundane but satisfactory lives, with the occasional exception of a notable celebrity or notorious criminal also making their way through its ranks. However, it was at this point thirty years ago that the school introduced a radical yet successful change to their original scholarship policy: any student who could demonstrate enough talent to be classed at the top of their field would be granted a full scholarship into the school, in the hopes of also inspiring their current students to further pursue their own attempts at mastery: to inspire by example. Soon, this innocuous academy rose above the rest, as graduates slowly turned their otherwise lacklustre track record into something impeccable. In the span of thirty years, the reputation of the school had changed significantly from just another private school - to an academy where every student who went through came out on top.

The Headmaster of the Academy came to a fundamental realisation: success is contagious. That was the reason that the school had reached this point, and it was all thanks to her that everyone who came to this school not only found their talents: but excelled in them. Everyone from the Ultimate among Ultimates to the simple fee-paying student would rise to the top here. This place had even inspired a game series: Danganronpa, the final assignment of the Ultimate Animator which had now become a popular animated television series. It wasn't just that anything was possible here; anything goes as well. When you have a school filled with some of the most eccentric minds on the planet coupled with the ordinary run-of-the-mill schmucks like us, it's bound to get real batty. If there's one thing I've learnt from the students here, it's to expect the unexpected here, and to never let anything stop you.

Yet now... I'm stopped at the front gate, gulping down a coffee as I muster the courage to speak to a girl I liked.

The Ultimate Advertising Executive, Akemi Fujioka. She is an imposing individual, bearing with her the gravitas of someone dauntless despite her such a demanding position. At fourteen, she ran a marketing campaign so successful that it brought a company back from the precipice of bankruptcy and made them into a mainstream icon. It is said that she has such a firm grasp on the way consumers behave that she could change the opinion of the entire world with regard to a product, and has used her creative prowess in many occasions to avert public relations disasters entirely. If you had ever seen a person just change their entire outlook about the world on a whim, that would be almost akin to miracle-work, but her duty was to change the outlook of the world on a daily basis. It made me think a little...

...I'm just a fee-paying schmuck with no talent, why should I try?

Sure, I write a little. I'm no fool, but I'm certainly not a genius like her. She was on a whole other level, one that I couldn't reach, not even if I had the means to fly. The only thing I was ever good at was writing fan-theories on message boards. That isn't even a talent; just a hobby. How can I compare to a girl who literally changes public opinion on a daily basis?

I can't is the answer.

I should just forget about it.

That was when he came. He seemed to detect unease, as if he were so used to the sensation that he could sniff it out from a mile away. The Ultimate Guru, Kotaro Hino. He goes by Taro mostly, and it's said that he seems to have a positive relationship with everyone in the school. More than just a guru, he is a friend with everyone he meets - though how much of that friendship is genuine is up to debate. Nevertheless, he acts as a shoulder for every student in the school.

"Yo, how's it going?" He asked nonchalantly. "Looks like you wanna talk to her?"

"Yeah, I do," I replied.

"From the look on your face, you want to confess, right?" He continued.

"Yeah," I said. He took the words right out of my mouth. He truly was a people person, who seemed to have an innate intuition around others. He was short statured, wearing a bright yellow t-shirt and a black blazer. On most it would look ridiculous, but Taro seemed to have a unique ability to make it look all the more friendly. He radiated confidence and kindness with his short blonde hair matching the colour of his shirt.

"Well, you can't turn back now," he said. "You came this far, it'd be terrible to give up here. You did call her out to tell her, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did, but I'm scared," I replied. "She's a scholarship student who has changed the world, I'm just a run-of-the-mill guy who trawls through online threads. I'm nothing to her."

"With that mentality you are," he quipped. "You're all here to become the best. Some arrive here that way, some don't, but all of us leave here that way. That's what this place is for. You're good in your own way, at your own things. Just ask her."

"But... what if she doesn't like me?" I asked.

"Then you'll know, won't you?" He replied. "Nothing's gained from sitting on your hands."

"I guess," I replied. "By the way, I never told anyone, so how did you know about what I was feeling anyway?"

"I would be a pretty shit Guru if I knew nothing about what everyone else was feeling," he responded. "Gurus bring enlightenment, comfort, and guidance. That's what I'm here for. Now go out there, and tell her how you feel."

I stepped forward. One step, two steps. They say when you feel like you're going to die, that time slows down, and you see your life flash before you. That applies to the moment before social death as well. I saw my friends, I saw my teachers, I saw my family. I gulped, and walked forward anyway. She turned to face me, likely disturbed by the crimson colouration of my entire face that made me look like I had chugged a litre of hot sauce in preparation for the moment. She spoke.

"Are you okay, Shin?" She asked. "You're looking a little funny."

"U-uh, I-I've felt better. J-just a little uncertain, th-that's all." I said.

"Oh, okay," She said. Then, she asked. "Uncertain of what?"

"W-well, we always share h-history class together, and we always g-got along real well." I said.

"Yeah, if you're apologising about dropping that half-cup of jello on me yesterday, forget about it," she replied.

"T-this has nothing to do w-with the jello," I said.

"Should I take you to the matron, your face is looking kind of funny," she said.

"N-no, I'm fine. I..." I started, but I trailed off halfway through the sentence. I knew what would come next; the confession. For some reason, my throat was too narrow for the words to fit through, and they remained lodged in my larynx for some time. I couldn't help it.

"What is it?" She said.

"D-d..." I stammered.

"D-d what?" She replied.

"Do you like me?!" I exclaimed. I didn't really mean to exclaim it, and in reality I was surprised he was able to say it, but the words still came from my mouth. It was a decisive moment. I had been hanging around her for sixth months. She seemed so far away, and yet here I stood, within arm's length saying what I truly thought.

"Is that why you were all flustered?" She responded. "Geez, you're unbelievable."

"I just c-confessed my feelings to you," I said. "I-is that all you have to say?"

She averted her eyes for a moment. "No, I'm sorry," She said. "We both know that's a bad habit of mine."

"S-so..." I said. "Wanna make out - no, hang out sometime, damn it!"

She giggled a little. "I know what you mean, don't worry," she said. "How about this Thursday at six?"

"A-are you sure?" I replied.

"Why wouldn't I be?" She said.

"W-well, you're awesome. You're smart, talented, and amazing. I'm not that special," I said.

"You're special to me," she said. "That's all that matters, isn't it?"

"Y-yeah, I suppose," I said.

"Well, we have class now. We better head off."

"You go ahead," I said. "I-I'll catch up."

"Alright," she said. She turned away, and walked a few paces forward. As she was leaving, she stopped for a moment and turned her head back.

"See you Thursday then, Shin," she said.

"Y-yeah," he replied.

She continued to class. When he was certain she couldn't see him, he punched the air out of sheer excitement. Taro approached him.

"Good job!" He said. "Man, I knew you had it in you. You did me proud."

"Thanks..." I replied, and paused for a moment. "Hey Taro, do you think there's any _hope_ that I could become the Ultimate Fan Theorist or something, like you guys?"

"Do you need to be?" He said. "Don't chase after a Mastery Scholarship just for an ego boost, you're good enough as it is. As they say, success is contagious. Being a Fan Theorist is about noticing correlation and patterns, isn't it?"

"Kind of, mostly it's about stringing events together and drawing conclusions from it," I replied. "It's a lot easier analysing fiction than reality though, fiction is linear and simple whereas reality is convoluted and bizarre."

"Maybe you could do something in data analysis?" He suggested.

"Maybe," I replied.

"You're an intelligent kid," he said. "Don't let the talents of the scholarship students get you down, let them lift you up."

He wandered off. Taro was my friend, but even I really didn't understand the guy. I suppose I would never really get the chance in the end. After all, I wouldn't see him again after this; not under normal circumstances at any rate. I sat on the bench for a while, and sighed. I sat there for what seemed like an eternity, until someone approached me. I felt hazy as they wandered closer. I couldn't make out their identity, I couldn't hear their voice, I couldn't do anything. The consciousness ebbed from me. Whether their presence was a catalyst or a coincidence I do not know, but I do know one thing.

When I next awoke, it was not into the dream that reality had become, but instead into a living nightmare.

* * *

 **Note:** This will be a Submit Your OC fic, with twelve character slots. Six of these characters will be Ultimate Students, six of these characters will be Reserve Students. The protagonist may be any one of these students. Note that Reserve Students should still have a talent listed. Anyway, feel free to have a crack, and send any applications in PM!

 **Name (Japanese names preferred, nicknames should be written in quotations between the given name and first name):**

 **Gender (Male, Female, Other. Note that I will try to preserve an equilibrium in gender):**

 **Orientation (Straight, Gay, Bi, etc.):**

 **Course (Scholarship Students are classed as Ultimates colloquially, Regular Students are additionally classed as Reserves by the Mastermind):**

 **Talent (Regardless of Course, the student should still have something they enjoy and are good at):**

 **Relationship with Talent (How do they feel about their abilities? Do they think they're part of their identity, or a hindrance, or maybe they even hate them?):**

 **Personality (Tell me how they act in general, what sort of person are they?):**

 **Character Traits (Basically a cursory summary of the above):**

 **Likes and Dislikes (What they enjoy doing and really hate):**

 **Personal Information/Relationships (The sorts of people they like and dislike):**

 **\- Loves:**

 **\- Likes:**

 **\- Dislikes:**

 **\- Hates:**

 **Family (Note any loved ones here, and the relationships they have with those people):**

 **Personal Effects (Anything that may be on their person when they were taken into the game):**

 **Outfit and Appearances (These can help allow people to get a feel for the character on initially meeting them):**

 **Extra Notes (If I forgot anything, write it here):**


	2. Intro: The Line-Up

_"Alright boys and girls, the roster for this Killing Round Robin has been finalised! Without further ado, I shall present the participants in this life-and-death game!"_

* * *

 **Male OC Participants**

Hiroyuki "Hiro" Kazetani – Hell Devil 13  
Ultimate Soccer Player

Yamato Kaga – mayurie  
Ultimate Biomedical Engineer

Ryoma Shiozu – R3dLuv3Singin  
Ultimate Osteologist

Samuru and Seita Mori – The hazel-eyed bookworm  
Ultimate Orator and Standard Kleptomaniac

Sora Sendo – Other Senpai  
Standard Songwriter

* * *

 **Female OC Participants**

Noriko Yanai – Agrael  
Ultimate Journalist

Kiyoshi Tachibana – Ryuu-Kitsune-Onna1  
Ultimate Linguist

Mayu Amari – Lance Otter  
Ultimate Dollmaker

Hitomi Itou - Alpahaca  
Standard Philosopher

Hoshi Nakashima – Undead Oscar  
Standard Basketballer

Iyona "Yona" Hatsukuni – liammarklh88  
Standard Geneaologist

Yoshimi Isozaki – TheRoseShadow21  
Standard Ice Skater

* * *

 **? ? ?**

Kimiko "Kiki" Kitamiya – Fyre Maiden  
Ultimate Picture-Book Author

Haru Yoshida – Other Senpai  
Standard Baker

* * *

 _"Don't worry too much about those bottom ones, I'm sure they aren't going to do too much, riiiight? I mean, what can a children's author and a baker do anyway? Maybe he could beat me in a cook-off, or maybe she could kill me by making me cringe to death with a lovey-dovey fairy tale; I mean, anything's possible in a killing game with me as your host!"_

 _"Oh, I haven't introduced myself yet? Well, shouldn't you recognise this familiar voice? I am the protagonist after all! What would a Killing Game be without your beary own Headmaster? Nothing, I tell you. Well, if you still haven't figured it out, I'll be your host: Mr. Monokuma! The one and only!"_

 _"I know you kids just wanna jump into the good bits, so let's go. The eleventh killing game is about to begin, and the very first 'Live Action Killing Round Robin' has been prepared. I know you'll love it. It's going to be... absolutely nuts."_


	3. Chapter 1-1: Too Close For Comfort

Hi, my name is Hitomi Itou, and I'm a regular student at Tsubaki Academy. There's nothing particularly special about me. I'm just a girl who likes doing stuff I suppose, and there's certainly a wealth of stuff to do at Tsubaki. That being said, I've done a lot of stuff at Tsubaki: everything from acting to zoology, and I've learned one thing from doing all that.

I'm not really very good at much.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not the sort of person that's a real down-and-out individual, in fact I don't really know who I am. I suppose though that I do know one thing about myself, and that is that I have a massive problem with daydreaming and getting distracted. It's a bit of a problem which has made it hard for me to truly shine, even at Tsubaki. I'm sure though that I'll find my wings, all Tsubaki students do. I'm pretty good at philosophy, so I mean that's something. I like psychology, and I'm not terrible at that either, so that's a good sign.

Still, I think I'm losing sight of the real elephant in the room here.

I have no idea where I am, nor what happened to me.

I was lying on the floor in what was a rather uncomfortable position, and I knew that I would most certainly be regretting it when I got up. It wasn't as if I had much choice in the matter though. I appeared to be in a building that I did not recognise. It seemed fresh, as if it had few occupants, but at the same time it was musty and mucid: as if it had been left unoccupied for some time. Slowly, I began to regain my faculties. I opened my eyes slightly. While I was sleeping, I had apparently been drooling on the floor. That was not particularly ladylike; I didn't care though. Instead, I just sat there for a while, drifting between my own inner thoughts and the external world. I was conscious, but far from lucid, nor mentally aware enough to lift herself from the ground. I just sat there, waiting for enough of my awareness to return so that I could at the very least lift herself off the floor.

I sat there for a while, until a kid around my age approached me. I twisted my head a little to look up at him. He wore a cream polo-shirt and tracksuits, along with a set of runners. He had short eyebrows, and a caring face that looked like that of an angel. In fact, I likely would have mistaken him for an angel if it weren't for the rather obscure looking broad-brimmed sun hat that he wore; he did have the sort of cutesy face for it, but the hat was a dead giveaway that he was just a dude with no fashion-sense. He knelt down on one knee.

"You look like you've had a good night's sleep," he joked. "Come on, it's time to get up."

I lethargically attempted to raise myself from the floor, to little avail. Whatever sedatives had been used on me, they were still knocking me around something terrible, and I barely had the strength to stand. I hooked my arm around the boy's shoulder, and he walked me over to an old leather lounge chair, which I slumped back into eagerly.

"W-where am I?" I asked the boy.

"Don't know," he replied. "Also, I don't have my phone on me, so I can't contact anyone or use GPS to find out."

I looked around the room. From the looks of the place, it seemed like I was in a camp lodge. A TV sat at one end of the room, and at the other was a series of dining tables. A large kitchen area with reasonably new facilities lay beyond the dining tables, likely serving the majority of people who might come into this hall. From the reclining lounge I was seated in, I had an excellent vantage point of most of the room.

"Say, do you know anything about this whole thing?" The boy asked me.

"What?" I replied, addled.

"Well, looks like that was pointless," he said. "You're completely out of it."

"Who are you?" I asked the boy.

"Me?" He said. "I'm Goro, nice to meet you. What's your name."

"Hitomi... Itou," I replied, struggling to recall my own name for a second. Not one of my finer moments.

"Huh, now that I think about it, I could've sworn I recognise you from somewhere," Goro said.

"You go to Tsubaki?" I asked.

"Yeah, do you go there as well?" Goro responded.

"Mhmm," I confirmed.

"What do you do?" Goro asked.

"I mean, I'm not really sure," I said. "Still sort of working that out. Philosophy mainly though."

"Fair enough," he said. "I'm Goro Maeda. I mainly do Biathlon, but I'm nothing special. Pleased to meet you."

* * *

 _Goro Maeda - Standard (HSL) Biathlonist_

* * *

Goro coughed a little as he talked. He looked a little worried as he spluttered, but it didn't seem to faze him too much.

"You okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, just had me worried for a second," he replied. "It was probably just the stuff that knocked me out knocking me around a little more. I hope..."

"Well, what else could it be?" I added.

He joked about a little. "Well maybe it could be cancer or something, who knows?"

"Hey, don't joke about with stuff like that," I said.

"Nah, it's fine, I'm probably just coming down with a cold," he continued. "I mean, who knows how long I was sleeping in that kitchen anyway?"

"You were sleeping in the kitchen?" I asked.

"Yeah, on the linoleum floor, and it was bloody cold I'll tell you that," he said. "I don't think I can feel my face all that well."

"That doesn't sound... healthy," I replied.

"Neither's waking up in the middle of nowhere without any memory of how you got here," he retorted. "Really, I'm feeling like health's more of a luxury than a right in a place as mouldy as this anyway."

I felt as if the sedative was beginning to wear off, and so I began to stand up on my two legs. For a while, I needed to support myself on the reclining chair, but eventually my energy returned to me.

"So, how long have you been awake?" I asked.

"I've been awake for around an hour I think, but I only got up about fifteen minutes ago," Goro replied.

"You didn't entertain any of those lewd thoughts you boys usually get when you see a vulnerable girl, did you?" I jeered.

"What? No, of course not!" He replied, blushing. "Besides, I don't swing that way..."

"Wait, if that's the case, why is your face as red as a beetroot?" I asked.

"Well..." Goro started, "I... I..."

"I what?" I asked.

"Just go in the kitchen," he replied.

I wandered toward the kitchen, staggering as I tried to navigate my way around. Though I could walk now, I still couldn't walk all that well, and was a little awkward on my feet. As I wandered into the kitchen, I suddenly realised what he had meant. Sprawled on the floor was a youthful and relatively athletic-looking boy. He had light pink wavy short hair and a nose-piercing, and one of his hands appeared to be scarred. He did seem to be the same age as Goro and I, either that or he was a year older. He wore a pastel blue cardigan, and his pants had a plaid white and blue pattern. He wore mint-green slip on shoes, which seemed at odds with the rest of his outfit.

However, what struck me as peculiar was the size of the kitchen. It looked much larger from the outside than it was in reality, and the floor space in there could probably accommodate three people at most if they sat side by side. However, the boy on the floor here seemed to be sprawled diagonally.

I stared at Goro.

I stared back at the boy on the floor.

...Then it clicked.

"Were you like, in his face the entire time?" I asked Goro.

"Yeah..." Goro said. "Most awkward 45 minutes of my life."

I burst out laughing. I really couldn't help myself at this point. In fact, I probably should have tried to keep the laughter to a minimum, but any attempts at constraining the cackles were thwarted immediately by my own voice-box. It was enough to make the sleeping boy wake up. He opened his eyes, staring at me as I continued to laugh, and at Goro as he turned his face to the side, avoiding eye contact with the boy and wearing a cherry red face.

"Where am I?" The boy asked.

"Don't know," I said. Then I checked my pockets briefly. "I don't have my phone on me either, so I couldn't tell you anyway."

"I'm getting a strange sense of déjà vu right now..." Goro said.

"Who are you two?" The boy asked.

"I'm Hitomi, and this is Goro," I said. "We just woke up here, same as you."

Goro didn't talk, likely still caught up on the fact that he'd been practically in his face all of fifteen minutes ago. If I had to say so though, he wasn't the worst face to be staring at for a little under an hour. Hell, I'd have traded places eagerly. I didn't say that though. He sat there for a bit, unmoving.

"Do you want us to help you up?" I asked.

"No, that's fine," he said. "This is something I have to overcome myself."

"You sure?" I asked. "You look like you're struggling."

"Don't worry, I can do it," he said. Surprisingly, he successfully managed to move his arm, but actually getting himself off the floor was much more difficult a task. Instead of standing, he dragged himself across the floor.

"I'm doing it anyway," I said. I hoisted him onto my shoulder, then stood up. "I can't watch you flail about like that and do nothing about it."

It was as if he didn't want to ask for help. Despite that, as I sat him down on the chair, he seemed incredibly grateful.

"Thank you," he replied, with a genuine-looking smile on his face. He seemed to have a rocker sort of appearance, but his looks most definitely betrayed his actions. He was a nice guy.

"By the way, do you go to Tsubaki Academy?" Goro asked him.

"Yeah, how did you know that?" The boy said.

"Intuition, I suppose." Goro replied. "What's your name?"

"Oh, me?" He asked. "I'm Sora Sendo. I write songs a bit, nothing real important."

* * *

 _Sora Sendo - Standard (HSL) Songwriter_

* * *

"That sounds awesome!" I exclaimed. "What do you play?"

"Well, I know a few instruments, but I mainly prefer not to play them myself," Sora said. "I like writing songs, because I think I'm better with a pen than an instrument. I still have a relatively good ability to play though."

"That's still pretty cool though," I replied.

"You think so?" Sora asked.

"Of course I do," I said. "Don't you think it's cool, Goro?"

"Yeah, it's a pretty nice talent to have," Goro said. "By the way, we should probably get moving once you can stand, Sora."

"Alright," Sora said. "What do you guys do, by the way?"

"I mainly do sporting stuff at school. I'm most renowned for Biathlon, but I prefer just regular skiing in honesty," Goro stated. "Hitomi over here prefers Philosophy."

As they were sitting and talking, the television in the corner of the room crackled to life. On the screen, they were greeted by the face of a black and white bear, who spoke with a high pitched voice.

"Ahem, attention everyone!" The bear said, "Please head to the camping grounds outside the lodges, I have an important announcement to make. Make sure all of you get there, I don't want any slackers on your first day of camp now!"

"First day of... camp?" Sora asked himself, "What the hell?"

"Yeah pinkie, camp!" The bear said, addressing Sora directly through the screen. "You know, the Tsubaki Academy Annual Sports Trip. Don't you just love a rural getaway for a change?"

"There's never been an annual 'sports trip' at Tsubaki though?" Sora said. "What are you doing, what do you want with us?"

"Well, I'm giving you a surprise getaway of course! Nothing like a camp retreat for you kids nowadays." The bear said. "You've got a bunch of adolescents, living in the woods, doing whatever and maybe even whoever they want! Oh, rest assured that this is going to get real steamy!"

"What do you want with us?" Sora added.

"Just come to the camping grounds and you'll find out!" He said, with a menacing expression as he raised a pair of claws from his right paw, visibly annoyed. "Geez, it's like playing twenty questions with you kids nowadays. Make sure the others get here as well!"

The signal cut out. The television went to a static image, before turning off entirely. Goro tried to turn it back on, but the remote wouldn't work.

"Maybe it's out of batteries?" I said.

"Well if it is, I don't know where we're going to find another set," Goro replied. "Anyway, does somebody want to tell me how he was even able to communicate with us? As far as I can tell, I can't facetime through a TV."

"I don't know," I said. "I mean, we were talking to an anthropomorphic bear having a temper tantrum, I think the Facetime TV is a pretty minor issue."

"Fair. What was that he said about others though?" Goro said. "How would we know how many there are?"

The TV flickered back to life again. The bear appeared once more. "There's 24 of you, including you guys," the bear said. "Anyway, I've got places to be, so I can't stick around for too long. You know, being a bear mascot sure is a demanding job. It doesn't matter though, after this, I'm going to be raking in enough to retire. I'll be living the high life!"

"You're just a teddy bear," Goro said. "Why would you need to retire?"

"Excuse you, I am not just a teddy, I'm a bona-fide bear. Are you going to say my mama and papa were lying to me my entire life about being a bear, just like they lied about Santa Claus and the tooth fairy?"

"Look, just go away, alright?" Goro said.

"Ooh, looks like someone doesn't want Mr. Monokuma spying on them," the bear said. "Perhaps you're going to use this opportunity to mack onto pinky pie in the recliner? Hmm? Well, I'll leave you be. Wouldn't want to get in the way of young love after all, because it seems you two are... pretty close."

The image cut out once more.

"So, what do we do now?" I asked.

Goro and Sora appeared to be staring at one another awkwardly. Neither of them had heard a word I said.

"Guys, what now?" I yelled.

"Uhh, I suppose we leave?" Goro said. "Maybe we'll run into the others?"

"Yeah..." Sora added. "Maybe..."

Goro headed towards the door. Sora and I followed, and together we all headed into the outside world. However, as soon as we stepped outside, we realised something.

We probably should've looked where we were going first.

We ran straight into a group of two. I fell backward as I bumped into a mature-looking and heavily tanned girl in a bright purple ball-gown.

"Ooh, there's more?" The mature-looking girl said. "And look at this cutie-patootie, I can sure get a load of that figure."

She strutted over to Goro. However, the boy beside her acted quickly, and grabbed her by the shoulder. He pulled her away from Goro.

"Ignore her," the black-haired boy with a lab-coat who was with her said. "I'm guessing you guys are from Tsubaki as well?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Well, I suppose we better introduce ourselves." The boy in the lab-coat continued. "My name is Yamato Kaga, and I'm on a scholarship as a Biomedical Engineer at Tsubaki Academy."

* * *

 _Yamato Kaga - Ultimate (SHSL) Biomedical Engineer_

* * *

"Is it my turn now then?" The mature-looking girl said.

"Well Leiko, is there anyone else here?" Yamato said.

"No," the girl said.

"Then get on with it!" Yamato exclaimed.

"Alright then, I'm Leiko Iwai!" The girl said with enthusiasm. "I'm a scholarship student at Tsubaki, working as a Locksmith, and I like my men like I like my locks: tough to crack, but filled with the good stuff when they do."

* * *

 _Leiko Iwai - Ultimate (SHSL) Locksmith_

* * *

"Well, I suppose that's us introduced, how about you guys?" Leiko said. "I want to hear the story of handsome over here. You know, stuff like where you live, what you do at school, what size underwear do you have, can I borrow some?"

"No, you can't borrow my bloody underwear!" Goro said. "Besides, if I was giving you my undergarments, I certainly wouldn't want them back after you're done."

"Oh come on honey," Leiko said. "You're no fun."

"Enough, we have to get out of here," Yamato interjected. "If we stay here, we're going to die."

"What?" I asked.

"I think I know who that bear is," the young man said. "And if the person behind this is anywhere as malicious as I think they will be, then we're going to be fighting for our lives."


	4. Chapter 1-2: Rendezvous

I was taken aback by his words. I didn't know what he meant, but if he was serious about saying something like that, then he likely had reasons for it. It was disturbing to think about. We were going to fight for our lives? Why? What could possibly motivate something like this? We were going to die? I had so many questions, but they barely left my mouth. After a while, standing still with my mouth agape, I finally spoke.

"Fighting for our lives?" I asked. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"You saw that announcer bear, right?" Yamato replied. "Did he say that he was Monokuma or anything to you?"

"I mean, I think he mentioned it," I replied. "Why?"

"Shit!" Yamato yelled. "I hope to god you're wrong, because if you aren't, then we're stuck with a homicidal maniac."

"What are you talking about," Goro said. "It's just a bear for fuck's sake."

"Monokuma s not just any bear, he's a character from a animated series called Danganronpa," Yamato said.

"So?" Goro said.

"There's ten Danganronpas. Do you know what happens in each and every one?"

"No," Goro answered.

"A bunch of students are forced to kill each other," Yamato said bluntly. "Specifically, a bunch of scholarship students at a prestigious academy: which was inspired by the author's own experience at Tsubaki."

"What!?" Goro exclaimed. "And you think..."

"Yes. I think that's why we're here," Yamato said, much more calmly now, as if he were resolved to and had simply accepted the ghastly nature of their own predicament. "I think whoever the person is that organised this game, they're copying it to the letter, and they're going to make us kill one another via sick and twisted means. They mean to make us all die."

"Why would they want us to die!?" I interjected. "We're just regular students, what the hell sort of grudge would anyone have with us?"

"Guys, we're worrying too much about this!" Sora said, interrupting the conversation. "I'm sure that nothing like that will happen, we're just getting stressed over nothing, that's all."

"I hope you're right, but there's really no point being optimistic for the sake of optimism," Yamato replied. "At the moment, there's more to suggest it will happen than evidence suggesting otherwise."

"So?" Sora said. "What evidence do you have, the name of a bear? Really?"

"If whoever this is really is a copycat killer replicating the killing games, then the bear's name should be indicative enough of what is to come," Yamato said. "I have no time for misguided hope that doesn't come to fruition. I'd much rather have my head remain on my shoulders. The second we go to that camping ground, we're trapped here. We need to get out of here before that happens."

"This is just paranoia," Sora said. "Why would someone want to murder us all?"

"I don't know, why would a terrorist run down a crowd of people in a semi-trailer then off themselves?" Yamato said. "The point isn't their motivations, it's the fact that they killed a bunch of people, and if we don't leave now..."

"...you think we're going to wind up dead." I concluded.

"Yes," Yamato said. "We have to get every single person involved in this game, and we have to run as far away as we can from here. That's the only way we're going to get out of this."

"I think the bear said there were 24 of us participating." I said.

"Well, let's split up into pairs of two," Yamato said. "What are your names again?"

"I'm Hitomi," I said.

"Goro, pleased to meet you." Goro said.

Sora waited for a bit, before saying his name. "My name's Sora." He was not a particularly large fan of Yamato, as had been made abundantly clear in the past few seconds.

"Well, Goro and Sora, you two can go together, as you seem like you already work well as a team," Yamato said. "I'll go alone for now, since I work best on my own anyway. Leiko, you can go with Hitomi. At least you won't pressure Hitomi for her undergarments."

"Heh, I'm sure I'll have as much fun with Miss. Hitomi as I would with any of you boy-toys anyway," Leiko said, with a hint of lasciviousness present in her voice.

"Um, can I please go on my own?" I asked desperately. "I'm afraid for both my sanity and chastity..."

"No can do," Yamato said. "We need to stick together for the most part, it'll make regrouping easier."

"Well, how the hell did you stop her then?" I asked. "She looked like she was fine with you, so what did you do to make her not so... rapey."

"I gave her my underwear," Yamato said. "I wouldn't recommend following suit, it's getting awful breezy in here."

"Too much information..." I said.

It looked like I wasn't going to be able to escape from Leiko at any point soon, so I decided it would be better to just split off and find the other participants quickly rather than draw the whole ordeal out. We wandered down the walkway that stretched around out the front of the dining hall we had just exited, and followed it to the end. Honestly though, after a while you strangely enough get used to being verbally violated by unnecessary questions. In fact, it's rather cathartic in a messed up sort of way. After a while, she just stopped prying, figuring she wasn't going to get information out of me anyway. Maybe if Yamato had've done the same, he wouldn't have had to lose his underwear: or maybe she only really had a thing for men's underwear anyway. I suppose she was really bluffing when she said she'd have as much fun with me as she would with them.

"So, what is the deal with you anyway?" I asked Leiko.

"What deal?" Leiko asked. "I like a good-looking guy and I'm not a prude. I'm blunt and I'm honest about what I want, and I don't beat around the bush. Isn't that they way every girl wants to live?"

"You asked a dude you just met five minutes ago for his underwear," I said. "Don't you think that's a bit early?"

"So?" Leiko said. "Sometimes, a girl's gotta get on the front foot."

"You make no sense," I replied.

"I'm just open with what I want," Leiko said. "We're all perverts hiding. I'm just open about my true nature. What about you, missy. You a pervert?"

"Of course not!" I said, taken aback a little.

"Yeah, the only person you're lying to is yourself," she said. "We're all the just the same hun; monkeys in suits."

We reached the end of the walkway. To our right, there appeared to be a laundry. It was rather large, and lying on the floor in the centre was a very muscular woman wearing grey lycra, as well as a young man in a black jacket with a yellow t-shirt laying face-down on the floor. The pair of them were positioned back-to-back, about a foot away from one another.

"Leiko, go and wake up the muscular woman, I'll try and wake the boy up," I said.

"Why can't I wake him up?" She said.

"Because I don't trust you around the opposite gender," I replied. "Now go and do it."

Leiko mumbled under her breath as she poked the muscular woman repeatedly in a fashion reminiscent of poking a dead body. At first she simply poked the top of her head, but after a while her finger was drawn to... other places. In the meantime, I attempted to jostle the boy awake. It took a while, but eventually the sedatives wore off, and the boy opened his eyes. The muscular woman still appeared to be down as the boy looked up.

"Sup," the boy said. "You guys know what happened?"

"Nope, join the club," Leiko said. "Now, let me..."

Leiko was about to start on one of her perverse rants, but trailed off as she saw the boy's face. Her originally perverse and wicked grimace transmogrified into a genuinely giddy smile.

"Taro!" She shouted, giving the motionless boy a massive bear hug. I didn't know what I was watching, but it seemed... the two knew each other?

"Heya Leiko," the boy said. "Looks like you're caught up in this mess as well, huh?"

"Wait, so who's this?" I asked.

"Well, Taro here is Taro," she said. "How do you not know Taro?"

"Huh?" I replied. "I just don't, I suppose."

"Everyone knows Taro!" She piped up.

"Sorry Leiko, do you mind... not crushing me to death anymore?" Taro said.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Leiko said, immediately moving over. Watching her willingly move away after spending the majority of her time invading the personal space of others was strange indeed. They must've been good friends, I thought to myself.

"I don't ever think we really got the chance to bump into each other at Tsubaki, did we?" Taro said. "Sorry about that, I'm Kotaro Hino, nicknamed Taro. I'm a scholarship student at Tsubaki, known as the Ultimate Guru for being able to give advice to those in need. I'm more of a Counsellor than a Guru though. Don't let the title fool you, I'm not religious, I just have a knack for timing and good advice."

* * *

 _Kotaro Hino - Ultimate (SHSL) Guru_

* * *

"So, who are you then?" Taro asked me. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced."

"I'm Hitomi Itou," I said. "I'm just your standard, run-of-the-mill philosophy buff really. Nothing particularly special about me. I mean, I do spend a lot of my time trying to contemplate the mysteries of the universe, but I suppose a lot of the time I never really draw a conclusion anything. Life of a philosopher, huh?"

"Yeah, I was never all that good at philosophy," Taro replied. "I don't have the knack for really thinking about that sort of stuff, I'm more of an in-the-moment sort of person anyway."

"I'm sure you could do it if you set your mind to it!" Leiko said, her persona changing entirely. "I mean, you can do anything Taro!"

Taro chuckled a little. "I don't think I'll ever be the next Descartes," he said. "May as well stick to what I know."

Leiko stood up from the floor, and helped Taro to his feet.

"What about her?" I asked, pointing to the muscular woman in grey lycra. She had messy black hair with grey highlights, which seemed to reach her shoulders. She looked like a rock, and was certainly sleeping like a rock.

"Maybe I should go back to poking her..." Leiko started.

"No," I cut Leiko off. "We should try something else. That wasn't working at all."

"Maybe I can jump on her?" Leiko said.

"If she wakes up, you're going to get murdered for doing that," I said.

As Leiko and I continued to spitball ideas, Taro knelt down to the girl on the floor, and proceeded to slap her in the face several times. After a while, the girl awoke with a menacing look in her eyes, but couldn't do anything. Taro stepped back.

"What the hell have you done, Taro?" I said. "She's going to rip you apart the second she gets off the floor."

"Relax, and have a little faith in me," he replied, before addressing the girl on the floor. "My name is Kotaro Hino, and I'm sorry for the rude introduction, but we're all in this mess together whatever the hell it is. So, if you wouldn't mind suspending your judgement for a little bit, I would be greatly in your debt."

"...You didn't have to slap me," the girl on the floor said.

"Nobody else could wake you," Taro replied. "If I had any alternative, I would have taken it. Can you move?"

"Not without a hell of a lot of effort, I can't," the girl said.

"Well, it appears this is quite the predicament," Taro said. "I'm not sure we would be able to lift you either, you seem a little too well-built to carry."

"No, that's fine," she said. "I am rather heavy, and you three don't look like the sporting types anyway."

"Hey!" I said. "No need to be rude about it!"

"Oh, I was rude?" The girl on the floor replied. "Apologies if you got that impression, I'd much rather trade in the sportsman's life. Personally, I'd much prefer to have the skill of deduction, I think that would be a lot more useful."

"So, who are you?" Leiko asked. "And why are you so... beefy?"

"I'm Jitsuko Saito," the girl on the floor said. "The reason I'm so 'beefy' as you put it is because I spend a lot of my time training my muscles as a deadlifter. It is a heavy workload that requires a lot of training and regimenting, but the result is the woman you see before you. I'd trade in my athleticism any day though, it leaves little room for having a real life. However, everyone at Tsubaki needs to pursue something at some point, and deadlifting is the only real avenue that's open to me."

* * *

 _Jitsuko Saito - Standard (HSL) Deadlifter_

* * *

"So wait, you go to Tsubaki as well?" I asked.

"Yes, I'm just a generic student at Tsubaki, nothing special," Jitsuko replied.

"Well, including myself, that makes seven out of seven of us Tsubaki students," I said to myself. "Maybe Yamato was right about this whole thing, maybe this really is a copycat event arranged like a Danganronpa game. If we're all from Tsubaki, and Tsubaki was the inspiration for Danganronpa, maybe this whole scenario is organised to be like Danganronpa. What then is the organiser's motive? There's no common thread between us, we barely know each other, and it's not even like we're just scholarship or just standard students. Why us? Is there some reason that the organiser of this chose us? But then again, there's no evidence that Yamato's fears are founded in reality, it's just as likely that..."

"Yo, hit-on-me!" Leiko said. "Get your head out of the clouds."

Needless to say, I did not like the pun on my name, but was forced to accept it regardless. I returned to reality. By the time I turned my attention to the events around me, Jitsuko was already standing. She looked like a formidable woman, not the sort you really wanted to keep waiting.

"Sorry, I sort of get caught up in my own thoughts sometimes," I said.

"Apology not accepted," Leiko said. "Let's not dawdle here, we've got shit to do."

"Don't be so judgemental," Jitsuko said. "We need to work together here."

"Agreed," Taro said. "There's no point starting arguments over nothing."

"So, what now then?" I asked.

"Let's check around outside," Taro said. "If this really is a camping ground like Leiko said when you were distracted, then there should be a set of lodges around here. They would be our best bet."

Great, I thought to myself. Looks like I missed out on a pretty important conversation then. I followed Taro and Leiko, who seemed to have some idea of where they were going. Jitsuko also trailed behind with me.

"So," I asked Jitsuko in an attempt to break the ice. "Why did you choose to do deadlifting? Isn't that a very male-dominated sport to enter?"

"Yes it is," Jitsuko replied. "However, most of my family have had the natural figure that gives them a natural edge in something like deadlifting. I like to think that the natural advantage gives me an edge over other competitors, but that isn't always the case. Still, I don't think deadlifting is for me."

"Why is that?" I asked.

"I don't want to deadlift. My entire family is known for their sporting accomplishments, with my mother being an olympian and my father having played football professionally, but I do not particularly enjoy sport," she said. "However, Tsubaki raises talented graduates, and sports were the only thing I ever had a talent for. That's why I ended up deadlifting. What about yourself, do you have a particular talent you want to pursue?"

In honesty, I didn't really know the answer to that question, even though I had been asked it a hundred times before. I told myself that I wanted to pursue philosophy, but the actual fact of the matter is that the only thing driving me to pursue that was a need to find a talent. I didn't really know who I was, or what I was trying to be, and I suppose with all these people who had now resolved to embrace what they were going to become, I was one of the few who hadn't really embraced any clear-cut path into the future. Goro skis, Sora writes music, Yamato does biomedicine, Leiko makes and cracks locks, Taro inspires people, and Jitsuko seems almost inhumanly strong. Each one of them had chosen a path.

Why hadn't I?

"We're here by the way," Leiko said.

They entered the dormitories. There seemed to be a group of three crowded around a single sleeping individual, trying to wake them up. They noticed the four of them and greeted them.

"Hey," one of them said. He was a cool and composed boy, who wore a yacht captain's hat and a pendant round his neck, as well as a white shirt with naval epaulettes. Despite that, he didn't look like he had spent much time on the ocean, and his hands looked like they belonged more to a city boy. "I'm guessing you guys have all been captured as well, huh?"

"Yeah, looks like it," Kotaro said. "Not exactly sure how we ended up here, but well, I guess we're here aren't we?"

"What's with the hat?" Leiko chimed in.

"Oh, this?" He said, pointing to the yacht captain's hat he wore on his head. "My parents got it for me because I like boating, I suppose. In truth, I don't wear it all that often."

The hat in question was a rather well-made sea captain's hat, featuring a golden laurel insignia around an anchor. It was by no means a shabby hat, and probably cost a fair amount to produce.

"Can I wear it?" Leiko said.

"I'd rather you don't, as it has..." The boy began, but was swiftly cut off by Leiko nicking his hat and running around with it, as if the act of stealing the captain's hat was somehow more advantageous to her than any pair of underwear ever could be. She bolted, but as she was wearing high heels at the time, she didn't go particularly fast at all as she stumbled her way into the hall with the captain's hat. He chased after her.

"Huh, that was interesting," I said.

"What a shame..." A girl in a black dress and corset said. "I was going to introduce us all, but it looks like our interpreter is running amok."

"Interpreter?" I asked. "Why would you need an interpreter?"

"Well, because of her," she said, pointing to the girl next to her. She looked up and smiled honestly. She had vivid bright orange hair and a teal miniskirt, and wore brown boots and a cream sweater. She looked like a menagerie of different colours. "...At any rate, it seems I'm charged with introducing everyone then. I'm Mayu Amari. I'm good at making dolls; it sounds a lot more exciting than it is."

* * *

 _Mayu Amari - Ultimate (SHSL) Dollmaker_

* * *

Mayu turned her attention to the girl next to her. The girl sat, eagerly awaiting her own introduction, as if she wanted to see what Mayu had to say about her.

"This is Kiyoshi Tachibana," Mayu said. "She is on a scholarship as a linguist, though you probably wouldn't guess it from the fact that she doesn't talk. She only communicates via Japanese Sign Language, but the one other person who speaks it here is off outside at the moment. She says she has Selective Mutism."

* * *

 _Kiyoshi Tachibana - Ultimate (SHSL) Linguist_

* * *

She gave a thumbs up and smiled, as if to confirm what Mayu was saying. At that point, he returned, carrying the captain's hat and panting like he had run a half-mile marathon.

"Did a girl in heels really give you that hard of a time?" I asked.

"I don't want to talk about it," he said.

Leiko returned to the room a few seconds later, slapping the boy on the rear-end on her way into the room.

"So, who are you guys exactly?" The boy asked. "Actually, hold on, my psychic senses are tingling..."

As he held his hand to his head, he pointed to me.

"You're Hitomi, right?" He said.

"How did you...?"

"I'm psychic," he said. He then laughed it off. "Truth be told, I'm pretty sure we ran into each other once."

I remember seeing his face around campus, and probably talking to him one or two times. He didn't exactly stand out in normal clothes, and perhaps the only reason why he had any presence in the room now was due partly to the ridiculous garb he was wearing.

"...That makes you... Kenji, right?" I said.

"Yup, that makes me Kenji Nakasone," He said. "I have a thing for boating, and I have a supervising role over the yachting club at school, though I'm by no means a scholarship student. Mainly though I act as a boatswain, checking equipment and ensuring that everything sails smoothly."

* * *

 _Kenji Nakasone - Standard (HSL) Boatswain_

* * *

"So, does anyone know who that is on the floor then?" Kenji asked. "Has he still not got up?"

"Apparently not," Jitsuko replied. "He has been on the floor for quite some time, and he has not moved since we entered. Are you sure he isn't dead?"

"I checked his pulse a moment ago," Mayu said. "He's breathing."

"Well, that's a relief," I said. "We should probably head back to Yamato now."

"Who's Yamato?" Mayu and Kenji said in unison. Kiyoshi signed something out as well, but it didn't take a translator to figure out what she said.

"He knows something about this thing, and says we need to leave apparently," I replied. "We split up in three groups to find all twenty-four of us, so I figure the others will probably find the remaining sixteen."

"If that is the case, I will grab the boy on the floor," Jitsuko said.

"Yeah, let's head off then," I said.

Jitsuko heaved the boy onto her shoulders. As we left the dormitories, we saw Yamato with a large crowd of people, and approached them.

"What's the hold-up?" I asked. "Is there some reason we're waiting?"

"Yeah," Yamato said. "I sent Goro, Sora, and Hisoka on a round-trip to check if anyone had been left behind. We're just using this opportunity to talk a little amongst ourselves."

"Hey, sounds like a party then!" Leiko said. "I wonder what wonders I can find here?"

"Jitsuko, please keep an eye on her," Taro said. "For her own good."

"Acknowledged," Jitsuko said. "Leiko, you can follow me."

"No, I want to do what I want to do," she said. "I want to do who I want to do, you know?"

"No buts, you're staying with me." Jitsuko said.

Leiko began to murmur under her breath. "No buts, huh? You're all butts to me." With that, the two of them left. With them leaving, I now had time to talk to the rest of the group, and get to know everyone. For a moment, I almost felt as if nothing bad could happen, with the worst of it already befalling us.

I would be proven wrong in a short while of course, but for now I was left blissfully unaware.


	5. Chapter 1-3: Familiarity

I stared around the crowd. Kotaro had a point, there was no use just standing around talking about nothing. All of us split up, Jitsuko tending to the boy who was unconscious, Leiko bound to her side, Kotaro heading off to talk to others, and Kiyoshi following her interpreter around like a lemming. Only Mayu remained behind, but even then she seemed slightly preoccupied. A boy in a red soccer jersey approached me. He had a certain suave look about him, and walked with an undeniable swagger that made him exude confidence.

"Heya, how's it goin'!" He said. "Figured I'd introduce myself an' all, I'm Hiroyuki Kazetani, or "Hiro" if you like it simpler. I'm the Ultimate Soccer Player."

* * *

 _Hiroyuki Kazetani - Ultimate (SHSL) Soccer Player_

* * *

"The Ultimate Soccer Player?" I asked. "How come I haven't really heard of you then?"

That made him get really clammy. "You haven't heard of me!?" Hiro said. "Geez, that makes this a lot harder than I thought..."

"Were you expecting me to know you straight off the bat?" I replied. "I don't really watch soccer all that much."

"Well, I mean, a man can dream." Hiro said. "You're the twelfth person that I've asked, and I've gotten the same answer pretty much every time. The only exception to that was the kid in the tan apron. You know, Chizuko."

The kid with the tanned apron was currently talking to a girl wearing a sparkly jumper, and as his name was mentioned, he turned his head and walked over. The girl followed him over.

"Hey, you called?" Chizuko said.

"Yeah, I was just saying to Hitomi here that out of everyone here, you're the only one that recognised me on television," Hiro said.

"Yeah, I saw him on the bench for a soccer team once," Chizuko said. Hiro was mortified.

"Wait, so you didn't even see me play?" Hiro said.

"Huh, you play?" Chizuko joked. "I thought you were the Ultimate Benchwarmer, you know?"

Chizuko laughed a little at his own joke, and the girl in the sparkly jumper giggled a little as well. Hiro didn't look like he was enjoying the joke so much.

"Has my whole life been a lie?" Hiro said.

"Haha, relax Hiro," Chizuko said. "You were teasing and mucking about before, I just figured I'd give you a taste of your own medicine. Anyway, I may as well introduce myself while I'm here. I'm Chizuko Adachi. I'm real good with my hands, and I enjoy carpentry in my spare time."

* * *

 _Chizuko Adachi - Standard (HSL) Carpenter_

* * *

I could see that Chizuko was trying his best to remain calm in the bizarre situation, but I noticed that Hiro didn't seem to be as concerned as the others. Most of them were trying to use this time to either ignore their current predicament or assess it, but Hiro... didn't look like he was doing either. It looked like he had almost accepted it, merely seeing it as another hurdle in life. The girl in the sparkly jumper tried her best to ignore the current situation, and introduced herself with enthusiasm.

"Hey, I'm Yoshimi Isozaki," she introduced herself. "I do ice skating, and I like to think positively. Sure, I'm not the best at it yet, but I'm getting closer every day!"

* * *

 _Yoshimi Isozaki - Standard (HSL) Ice Skater_

* * *

Oddly enough, it sounded as if the person she was trying to convince with those statements was not me, but herself. Even still, she seemed friendly, and really nice.

"Hi, I'm Hitomi, pleased to meet you," I said. "I do Philosophy, I suppose."

"Oh, you do?" Yoshimi replied. "I used to like philosophy a fair bit, but after a while it gets a little too annoying for me. To me, there's no nuances on the ice rink, that's one of the main appeals of it."

"Yeah, I have to admit, it can sometimes be more of a pain than it's worth," I said. Hell, half the time I was in a philosophy class I had scarcely any idea of what was actually going on around me. Then again, I wasn't going to say that out loud.

"I know right?" Yoshimi said. "Anyway, I think I'm going to head off now, there's a lot of people I still want to talk to after all."

Yoshimi left, along with Chizuko. That just left me and Hiro remaining.

"Anyway, I hope we can talk again sometime," Hiro said. "Preferably when I find an eyewitness who has actually seen me on field."

Hiro left as well, leaving me alone once again.

I sighed. Well, at any rate, it seemed that the boy who had been on Jitsuko's shoulders before was now conscious. He stood next to a similarly dressed boy, both of them wearing rather shabby outfits made of a jacket and grey pants which seemed particularly dirty. The one that Jitsuko had been carrying had been wearing the green jacket, and the one that he was now talking to was wearing the red jacket. I decided to approach them and try and learn a little more about them.

"Hi, I'm Hitomi Itou," I said, introducing myself to them. "I figured I'd introduce myself, since we all seem to be doing that."

"Hey," the boy in red said, then averted his eyes.

"You need something?" The boy in green said. The two of them clearly didn't want to talk to outsiders.

"Well, we met earlier, didn't we?" I said again. "I thought I'd at least get your names and stuff."

"I'm Samuru Mori," the boy in green said. "Thank your friend Jitsuko for carrying me over here for me, would you?"

* * *

 _Samuru Mori - Ultimate (SHSL) Orator_

* * *

"Wait, Samuru Mori?" I asked. "As in the political commentator, Samuru Mori?"

"Yeah, that one," Samuru said.

"Honestly, I thought you'd be a little..." I started.

He tried to finish my sentence. "Older?"

"I was going to say, more talkative," I concluded.

"I get that a lot," Samuru said. "I just don't say more than I need to. It's a good skill to learn."

"Fair enough," I said, then turned my attention to the boy in red. "What about you?"

"I'm Seita Mori," he said. "People call me the Ultimate Kleptomaniac, but I'm not an ultimate at all, and being a kleptomaniac is nothing to be proud of."

* * *

 _Seita Mori - Standard (HSL) Kleptomaniac_

* * *

"So, why do they call you that then?" I asked.

"Because they're all assholes, I suppose," he replied. He meant it in a genuine fashion, but it came off as a little rude, and I couldn't help but feel a little hurt: as if he was including me in that number. "Truth be told, I don't really have a talent, I'm just at Tsubaki because my brother puts me through with the money he gets from working in entertainment. I don't like going there, and I suppose this whole ordeal gives me all the more reason to hate it."

"So, you're just caught in the crossfire?" I said.

"Yeah," he replied.

"That's honestly terrible. I feel so bad about all of this," I replied.

"Don't worry, you're not the one who brought us here," he said. "You seem like an honest person."

"Thanks," I said, giving him a little smile.

"I've met enough dishonest people in my life to be able to tell it at this point," Seita added, then stared at his brother. "We both have."

The two of them wandered off, without another word. That was an odd conversation, they didn't seem like a pair that really wanted to socialise. I decided to use the opportunity to seek out new company. It seemed that everyone had fallen into little cliques at this point, gathering around similar people. I decided to infiltrate one such clique. Jitsuko and Leiko seemed to be conversing with two girls who seemed to be particularly sporty, seemingly entirely against Leiko's will. The first was an extremely tall woman with blonde hair and a white t-shirt with the kanji for "fire" written on it. She also wore a set of black fingerless gloves, and a set of blue jeans. The second was a slightly shorter but nonetheless imposing woman wearing a jumpsuit, with a fire-axe hooked onto her hip. I approached with caution.

"Hitomi!" Leiko yelled. "Help me get away from these sweaty weirdos!"

"Hey, who're you callin' weirdo?" The woman with the blonde hair said. "You're the weird one here, Little Miss Lockpicks."

"Leiko, be respectful," Jitsuko said. "Can we not have a friendly conversation?"

Leiko poked her tongue out a little. I approached.

"Hey Hitomi," Jitsuko said. "I'd like you to meet Hoshi and Erika."

"Sup," the woman with blonde hair said. "I'm Hoshi Nakashima, I do b-ball."

* * *

 _Hoshi Nakashima - Standard (HSL) Basketballer_

* * *

"Do you mean basketball when you say that?" I asked.

"What else could I mean?" She replied.

"Baseball maybe?" I replied.

"Eh, I suppose you've got a point," she replied. "Alright, well I do Basketball then, but I also enjoy lots of other sports that start with b, like baseball, or beach volleyball."

"How about bl..." Leiko started. Jitsuko put her hand over her mouth to suppress whatever it was she was about to say.

"Don't even think about it," Jitsuko said menacingly. Leiko nodded her head as a show of pacifism.

"Anyway, what's your name?" I asked the woman in the jumpsuit.

"Me?" She said. "I'm Erika Sakaguchi. I do rescue work from time to time. People started calling me a guardian angel for it, but evidently I haven't done my job well enough if we're all here."

* * *

 _Erika Sakaguchi - Ultimate (SHSL) Rescue Worker_

* * *

"Wow, you must have saved so many lives if people are calling you an angel for it," I asked. "How many do you think you've managed to save?"

"My estimate places it at roughly... a hundred," she replied. "I don't know the precise statistic."

"That's amazing for a girl your age!" I said. It made me think a little about how useless I was at my own talent, compared to the woman next to me who had spent her entire life saving others from burning buildings and earthquakes.

"They all say that, I suppose," Erika said. "I'm not sure I feel the same way though..."

She was clearly thinking about something. Maybe a lost loved one, or a survivor she couldn't save. Whatever it was, it deeply troubled her.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Don't get me wrong, it's nothing like what you think it is," Erika replied. "Everyone thinks that."

"Hey Hitomi, Hitomi!" Leiko said as she tugged on my arm. "Let's go over there!"

She pointed in the direction of a young boy roughly the same age as us, talking to Taro. It didn't take a genius to figure out why she wanted to go. The man was dressed in an immaculate white suit, and looked as if he'd just stepped off the stage of a regal banquet after giving the keynote speech. He looked like quite the gentleman.

"I'm guessing you want to try make a move, huh?" I said.

"Gold star for you, ace detective," Leiko retorted sarcastically. "Now come on!"

The two of us approached the young man, not entirely of our own volition.

"Oh hey guys," Taro said as we approached. "How's it going?"

"Hey Taro," Leiko replied. "Who's this?"

"Greetings, my name is Daigo Yamamoto," the boy said, feeling chuffed as he said his own name with a sense of haughty bravado. "I am a scholarship student at Tsubaki Academy, colloquially referred to as the Ultimate Mining Magnate for my work as President of the Yamamoto Mineralogy Group. It is a pleasure to meet you."

* * *

 _Daigo Yamamoto - Ultimate (SHSL) Mining Magnate_

* * *

"Ooh, how exciting!" Leiko said. "Hey, can I have your autograph?"

"I'd rather not," Daigo said. "After all, it can be tied to many..."

"Can I have your tie?" Leiko interrupted.

"Um, might I ask what you would want my tie for?" Daigo asked.

"Can I tie you up?" Leiko asked, with a unnervingly childish innocence about her as she grabbed the black silk tie around Daigo's neck and toyed with it a little.

"Has social convention changed so drastically while I was unconscious?" Daigo replied, visibly confused about the whole situation.

"Not really," I answered. "She's just strange."

"I'm not strange," she rebutted. "I'm just forward, and what's wrong with that? Don't you agree, Mr. Mining Maniac?"

"Leiko, get off Daigo. He probably has enough in finances to sue you to the grave." Taro said.

"Do not concern yourself about that, I'm not that sort of person," Daigo said. He failed to realise that he had just sealed up the only escape he had.

"Ooh, strong but stern, I like it!" Leiko said.

"Get off him," Taro said. "For your own sake, just trust me on this one."

"Sure thing," Leiko said, instantly forgetting about Daigo. Though it didn't seem like Leiko had any particular affection for Taro, he seemed to have her wrapped around his little finger. I truly wondered what it was that made the pair of them tick, and what made Leiko act the way that she did towards him.

"Alright, well I suppose I'll leave you with Leiko then," I said to Taro. "It looks like you have a better handle on her than I do."

"Cool," Taro said. "Oh by the way, if there's anything you ever need to have a chat about, feel free to let me know."

The pair of them wandered off. Daigo remained standing in the same place.

"I never quite caught your name," Daigo said.

"Oh, me?" I replied. "I'm Hitomi, pleased to meet you."

We shook hands. He seemed like a rather formal yet somewhat genuine individual.

"Hitomi, right," Daigo said. "I shall remember that name, in the unfortunate event that I might need an escape from Leiko again."

Daigo wandered off. Despite the whole situation, he seemed to have a certain calmness about him, as if nothing was capable of fazing him. A part of me envied that. Someone tapped me on the shoulder as he walked away.

"One hell of a guy, huh?" The lady who tapped me on the shoulder said. I turned around. The woman was relatively tall, and wore a brown leather jacket over a blue and white striped tank-top. Perhaps the strangest thing though was the denim shorts that accompanied them, seeming at odds with the rest of the outfit. "The Ultimate Mining Magnate, Daigo Yamamoto. He's an admirable kid, isn't he?"

"Well yeah, I suppose," I replied. "He's the same age as us, and he has a major company to his name."

"I wonder what sorts of stories he has to tell? Probably some juicy ones, I can imagine," the girl said. "So, you said you were Hitomi, right?"

"Yeah, I'm Hitomi Itou, just your run-of-the-mill Tsubaki student," I said. There was a momentary pause, then I realised something was off. "How did you know my name?"

"Accidental eavesdropping," she replied. "Sorry, I just overheard it while you two were having that conversation."

"Fair enough," I said. "So, what's your name then, and what are you at Tsubaki for?"

"I'm Noriko, Noriko Yanai," she said. "I'm at Tsubaki on a Journalism scholarship, and I always try to use that talent to discover truth wherever I can find it. I hope we can get along, Hitomi."

* * *

 _Noriko Yanai - Ultimate (SHSL) Journalist_

* * *

"A journalist?" I asked. "So, you get published in the news and stuff?"

"Yeah, though a lot of the work I do is just following deadlines and putting information to paper. I enjoy the investigative part the most, but that's what I tend to get the least of," she replied. "Ah well, beggars can't be choosers, I suppose. Anyway, I'm going to try score a chat with Daigo, I'll see you around."

"Yeah, seeya then," I replied. With that, she left. I decided once more to take a look around the crowd; that was when I noticed her. Off in the corner was a young girl slightly shorter than the rest of us, who was seemingly trying to avoid the crowd. I approached her.

"What do you want?" The girl said in a confrontational manner.

"I don't know, it seemed like you weren't really talking with the rest of us," I said. "I figured I'd just introduce myself, and figure out a little about you."

"Did it ever occur to you that I might be over here because I don't want to talk to others?" She replied.

"Well, no, I suppose I didn't..." I replied.

"I don't want to be here, same as the rest of you. There, now you know a little about me." The girl said.

"But that..." I started.

"Didn't you ever learn that it's rude to be digging into the affairs of others?" She said.

She was a lost cause as far as I was concerned. Perhaps eventually she'd learn to open up a little, but I doubted it was going to be any time soon. Still, at the very least, I wanted to know her name.

"Can I at least catch your name and stuff?" I asked.

"Iyona Hatsukuni, I study Geneaology," she replied.

* * *

 _Iyona Hatsukuni - Standard (HSL)_ _Genealogist_

* * *

"Now could you please leave me in peace for the moment?" She asked. "I'm trying to think about things."

She didn't seem as if she was in a talkative mood, so I decided to wander away. As I walked off, I ran into a similarly reserved student. However, in her case, she did not seem as if she was trying to avoid anyone - rather, I think she simply couldn't muster the courage to talk to anyone, nor approach the others. She wore a set of men's suit pants, and a shirt emblazoned with the Tsubaki logo, as well as a pair of rather shoddy black shoes. In fact, for a moment I was almost convinced she was an incredibly effeminate boy. She fell down as I bumped into her, and landed on the grass.

"Oh, I'm sorry, do you need me to help you up?" I asked her. From the look on her face, it was almost as if I had just proposed to her.

"Y-yeah," she said awkwardly. Something told me she wasn't exactly the most adept at social interactions, or social situations in general: really, anything involving the word social. "H-h-hi," she added, as if she were forcing the words out of her mouth.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Uh, I-I'm f-f-fine," she replied. The words barely escaped her mouth over her stammer. Maybe she wasn't naturally all that awkward, I thought, but was just scared of talking to others for fear of people judging her stuttering. I wasn't sure that was right though.

"What's your name?" I asked in a friendly manner, as friendly as I could possibly be.

"M-my name is K-k-Kumi H-Himura," she said.

"What do you do at Tsubaki?" I asked.

"I-I'm a p-p-production a-assistant," she replied.

"Oh, that sounds awesome!" I responded, trying to maintain the entirety of the conversation. "Do you enjoy it?"

"Y-yeah," she replied.

"What's it like?" I asked.

She ran off. I don't think she could take it any more, but I hoped at the very least that she was able to have enough of a conversation to feel a little better about herself. Now that I think about it, she was oddly uncomfortable with everyone, but with girls in particular she seemed the most uncomfortable. Perhaps she had traumatic experiences with the girls of her old school or something? Whatever, I thought to myself. Trying to speculate on it was going to get me nowhere. I looked through the crowd. At this point, there were only two faces I didn't recognise within. As it happened, those two people happened to be in a conversation with one another. I decided to wander over to them. One of them had long silver hair with a pink scarf, and the other wore a brown suit with a lanyard. For a moment, I thought from the long hair that it was two girls talking to one another, but as I approached I discovered that I was mistaken. The figure with the silver hair was undoubtedly male, and I suppose I had simply jumped to a conclusion due to the pink in his attire. The woman he was talking to spoke up.

"Hey, I'm guessing you're making the social rounds, huh?" She said. "Well, I suppose we all want to know what and who we are dealing with, that's only reasonable."

"Well, I mean, when you put it like that it sounds kind of sinister," I said. "I just want to be friendly, that's all."

"Don't worry, I don't think you're doing anything sinister," she said. "Anyway, I'm Akemi Fujioka. I suppose I'm informally known as the opinion shifter among advertising circles for my work in advertising, but I'm nothing too special, just your regular Advertising Executive."

* * *

 _Akemi Fujioka - Ultimate (SHSL) Advertising Executive_

* * *

"Regular Advertising Executive?" I asked. "It doesn't really seem regular to be doing something like that at your age at all, and for that matter, I doubt you'd be all that regular and have the nickname of the Opinion Shifter."

"Eh, you'd be surprised," Akemi replied. "Really, I'm just a normal girl, like anyone else."

"What about you?" I asked the silver-haired boy.

"Oh, me?" The boy said. "I'm Ryoma Shiozu. I'm a scholarship student doing osteology at Tsubaki, basically the study of bones. I hope we can get along."

* * *

 _Ryoma Shiozu - Ultimate (SHSL) Osteologist_

* * *

As if popping up out of the middle of nowhere, Leiko randomly grabbed Ryoma on the shoulder and spoke up. "Study of bones, you say?" She said. "Add an 'r' in there somewhere and you'll get my field of expertise. I'll study yours, if you want."

Ryoma immediately staggered away from Leiko, likely scared from the shock. He pushed her away.

"What? That's disgusting!" He said. "Get away from me!"

He pushed Leiko away, as if she was the same as a rotten sandwich. She staggered a little, but maintained her balance.

"Ooh, playing hard to get, are we?" She said. "I like you, you're a feisty one."

"And you're a festy one!" He retorted. "Seriously, that's disgusting."

"See you around, Ryoma," she said. With that, she blended back into the crowd.

"What was with her?" Akemi asked.

"I wish I knew," I replied. At that moment, Yamato spoke up.

"Right, everyone, listen up!" He said. "It looks like everyone's here, so we're now going to leave. That includes everyone, alright? We're going to head from this point in the opposite direction of the camping grounds, we should be able to get out if we do it before we're noticed."

"Get out of what?" Ryoma asked.

"Yeah, what are we supposed to be running from?" Chizuko added.

"I'll tell you all that when we get out of here," Yamato said. "For now though, you just have to trust me."

Goro, Sora, and the boy named Hisoka returned to the crowd, and with that we departed and headed toward the edge of the camp. We walked for what seemed like ten minutes, but was likely only equivalent to one, before everyone stopped. I looked up, wondering what it was that everyone had stopped for. Then I saw it.

A giant mechanised war machine stood before us, and atop it, a duotone bear with a menacing red-eye stared back at them.

"Hey, looks like everyone has arrived!" The bear said. "You guys are real bad at following directions, huh? Don't worry though, I won't bite..."

The bear then proceeded to look down at the giant contraption he was standing on. He then stared back at us, and raised his right paw, revealing the claws within.

"...But the gun turret might," he concluded, with a sinister expression as his lone crimson scarred eye glared at us, glowing with a disturbingly luminant shade of blood red.


	6. Chapter 1-4: Ruler of the Roost

"What do you want from us?" Yamato yelled at the bear.

"Oh, nothing much, I just want you guys to enjoy your rural retreat," the bear said. "I, Monokuma, have organised this trip out of the goodness of my heart! An all expenses paid journey to a rural paradise, where you can live out your days free of obligation and worry as prestigious ex-students of Tsubaki Academy! I'm your headmaster, Monokuma, and this below me is your Camp Supervisor: say hello everybody!"

Nobody spoke: the air was too tense for that. Instead, they just stared blankly at one another.

"Geez, tough crowd," Monokuma said. "Well, whatever. To each person here, I'd like to extend a warm welcome. Each of you will be living in the confines of this camp for the time being, and I can't just have you guys running around all over the place willy-nilly, so I figured I'd hand these out."

He dropped a series of laminated sheets and clipboards in a pile on the floor. Each one included a map, a list of rules, and a list of all the participant names with their ID photos, the names highlighted in three different colours.

"This will be your student handbook for your time at camp!" Monokuma said. "Budget cuts really hit us hard, I'll tell you that much. Anyway, the show must go on as they say, and just because you don't have the fancy wiz-bang ones we used to whip up, doesn't mean you can't pretend by putting a little imagination into it!"

"I doubt you'd bring in a war machine just to make us enjoy a peaceful school trip," Yamato said. "What's your real angle here?"

"Ooh, looks like we've got a smart cookie, huh?" Monokuma said. "It's kids like you that have to go ahead and ruin everything. I mean come on, pace yourself, I'll get to that! Anyway, everybody look at the maps. You'll see a series of dots around the border of the map, as well as three sets of cabins. Those cabins are your team cabins. It'll be communal living for all you guys, but that doesn't mean you can't fool around in the hay while no one's looking. Hey, I won't judge. I'm all for a little side action, but you'll need to sleep in the cabin designated by your team's colour. Just because you can sneak into the other dorms, doesn't mean I'll let you just sleep wherever you want, you know?"

"So, rule number one: You must go to sleep in your own designated dormitory, but may sleep anywhere within that dormitory." Monokuma stated.

"Hey, I just noticed these dots around the border of the camp's edge," Hiro, the boy in the soccer jersey, said. "What exactly are those?"

"Well, they're the camp perimeter, of course," Monokuma said. "If you want the real answer though, here it is: they're landmines."

"What?" Akemi, the girl with the suit and lanyard, exclaimed.

"You've heard of them right? Landmines? They go boom if you touch them," Monokuma continued. "I mean, you could always follow the map to avoid all the landmines on the map, but I don't remember whether the cartographer who made this did an accurate job marking those. Who was responsible for that again? I don't know, I'll have to check my list, huh? Anyway, for any of you thinking of trying to use the landmine map to escape, I wouldn't advise it. It's possible, but there's a four kilometre field of straight landmines out there, and I doubt you have the endurance to make it without making so much as a single mistake, especially at nighttime."

"Why do this?" Chizuko, the boy with the tan apron said. "Are you just fucking crazy, or plain stupid?"

"Geez, way to insult your principal buddy," Monokuma said. "Anyway, below me is what I call the Exisal. Big-shot over here was right when he called it a war-machine, this bad boy has more power than you can ever imagine, and has dps so high you might as well just straight up call it overpowered. Honestly, this thing is amazing. I should get like five of these things, maybe I could start up a new group of Power Rangers or something. The Mono-Rangers, how about it kids?"

The crowd continued to remain silent. Monokuma sighed.

"Anyway, she's here for one reason and one reason alone," Monokuma continued. "She's here to bust up anyone who tries anything fishy, and to make mincemeat of anybody who breaks the rules."

"Rules, what rules?" Daigo, the boy with a white suit and neatly combed hair said. "What do you want us to do?"

"Same thing I've wanted to do the last ten times I've done this: I want you to kill one another." Monokuma said, that sinister expression returning to his face as his black half faced the people below. "Burn, bludgeon, bash, butcher, bloody 'em up as you see fit!" Monokuma started. "Choose whatever method you want. If you can literally get away with murder, I'll let you go - but if you can't, then I can't let you stay either. Those who commit murder will be blackened with their own sins, and in a spotless camp like mine, I can't simply let them stay now can I?"

"C-c-commit m-murder?!" One of the boys screamed; it was Sora. "No... No no no no no..."

"Oh, yessss!" Monokuma said. "If you really trust your classmates, then there shouldn't be a problem, should there?"

"B-but why? Why!?" Sora exclaimed.

"Nothing's more fun on a happy getaway than a surprise murder mystery, so I made a whole camp for just that!" Monokuma said. "Welcome to Danganronpa X1, the first Killing Round Robin! I hear adding a letter into the name's all the rage with kids nowadays, so I'm sure you guys would love it, you know? It really gives off that fresh vibe, as if it's brand new and original. Really, you should appreciate the amount of effort that went into making this happen: if it wasn't for my loyal fans, this entire thing would have been a pipe dream!"

This entire situation seemed surreal. Getting lectured by a bear, who was trying to make us kill each other by threatening us with a mechanised war machine and had us trapped in here with landmines. Was this the work of some sort of government experiment , or just a lunatic with a lot of money? Monokuma's words suggested he had help from others: maybe this was something run by the government? But then again, would the government really use a talking teddy bear for this sort of thing? Yamato's theory seemed a lot more plausible - that someone was trying to replicate the Danganronpa franchise. Still, it disturbed her deeply. Who could possibly want to bring that to life?

"Well anyway, I guess I better list out the rules before you go ahead and do something stupid - so here they are, fresh off the page," Monokuma said.

* * *

" _Rule 1: Sleeping anywhere other than the team cabin you have been designated is seen as conspiring against your teammates. You may sleep anywhere within your cabin including but not limited to the couch, the floor, the bench, but only within that cabin. This rule is effective only from this moment forward._ Don't worry, that means I can't punish you for waking up in the middle of nowhere against your knowledge. You should be happy, I would've loved to test the gun on this thing, but it'd be no fun without you guys!

" _Rule 2: While on the trip, nighttime will be defined as 10pm to 7am, as defined by the clock in the central cabin. Daylight is the inverse, defined as the time period between 7am to 10pm._ You guys should remember that. I can't have you slinking about in the dark too much. After all, this camp's going to be no fun if you're all sleep-deprived.

" _Rule 3: Students may leave the camp at any time if they are able via the minefield, but may not return if they succeed_. If you somehow manage to get through that minefield, you'll get an official Monokuma-style pat on the back, but you can't have any thoughts of return.

" _Rule 4: The following places may only be accessed during daylight hours: The Storage Room, the Inventory Room, and the Lake._ I mean, I can't just have people doing whatever you damn well please at night, skinny dipping after hours and nicking the belongings of others - I'm looking at you for that last one, Mr. 'Ultimate Kleptomaniac'."

Seita and Samuru both gave Monokuma a contemptuous glare. Samuru turned to the side and spat on the ground next to him, whereas Seita simply judged Monokuma with an unbridled hatred. Monokuma ignored them both.

 _"Rule 5: The following places may only be accessed during nighttime hours: The Shooting Range and associated Gun Store, the Minefield, and the Moonlight Bar._ You know, it makes it more exciting navigating the minefield in the dark, doesn't it? Think of it like Mission Impossible. Besides, what good would a bar be during the day anyway? Sounds like that'd be a real poor business model if you ask me.

"And now... It's time for the fun part," Monokuma said. "Any interruptions at this point until I have finished will be classified as violations of camp rules: A.K.A. I'll riddle you with more holes than a slice of swiss cheese."

" _Rule 6: When someone commits murder, they become the blackened effective immediately from the moment of the crime,_ " Monokuma continued. "This means you don't get any leeway period or anything.

" _Rule 7: Both the blackened and victim cannot be members of the non-participating team. The off-team is not allowed to participate nor are they allowed to be targeted._

" _Rule 8: With the violation of Rule 7, the escape clause is invalidated. The blackened may still elude discovery, but the blackened will not be authorised to leave, nor will the remaining members be punished for failing to discover them._

" _Rule 9: If the blackened succeeds in evading capture and murders according to the school rules, they alone will be granted freedom. All remaining participants will be punished._

" _Rule 10: The blackened instead will be punished should they be revealed._

" _Rule 11: The body discovery announcement will play immediately after three people discover a dead body. This may include the blackened, but only after they have left the body and returned._

" _Rule 12: The game will officially end when only three or less active participants are left within the camp grounds, as the body discovery announcement will be unable to play at this point._

" _Rule 13: Vandalisation and/or alteration of material contained within the handbooks or the handbooks themselves is strictly prohibited._

" _Rule 14: Violence against the Headmaster will not be permitted under any circumstances._

" _Rule 15: Headmaster Monokuma reserves the right to add further rules at his own discretion."_

* * *

"Well, that's that, you can talk now if you want," Monokuma said.

The entire crowd proceeded to ignite into furore, as the shouts of many of the participants drowned out the sobs of others. It was a truly miserable scene, as they realised how hopeless their predicament had become in only a matter of seconds. However, one voice stood up above the rest - it was a kid I did not recognise from Yamato's group. He was the one that had gone with Goro and Sora to inspect the building. He had short dyed-blonde hair, and wore a denim shirt over a white undershirt, dressed like a Gyaruo. He spoke loud, and addressed the crowd as a whole.

"Guys, we have to stop this!" He yelled. "This isn't going to help us, yelling at one another until our voice boxes give out. If we trust one another, we'll get out of this fine, won't we? Monokuma said that we can escape via the minefield, so we've just got to find a way to deactivate the mines. If we work together and trust in one another, then I'm sure we'll all get out of here alive with patience and teamwork. I'm Hisoka Arai. I'm just a regular student at Tsubaki, and I'm sure many of you are the same. We've all got something to offer here at Tsubaki. I'm an art scholar, he's a bioengineer, and she's a rescue worker. We all have something we want to be, something that we're good at. I believe in you all: so believe in each other."

* * *

 _Hisoka Arai - Standard (HSL) Art Scholar_

* * *

Hisoka's speech was captivating. He was certainly a confident young man, who seemed to radiate with optimism and courage. Yamato approached him, and stood by him.

"The only way we're going to get through this alive is if we can work together to find an escape. Let's pull our heads together, and find an escape to this place," Yamato added succinctly. He said this with confidence and conviction, but something about his body language made me think that he wasn't entirely convinced of this himself. Still, no one could deny that in that moment, Hisoka had stolen all the attention from the crowd and made himself immediately appear as an almost divine leader, and in putting himself beside Hisoka, Yamato had made himself appear synonymous with that radiance. They had inspired everyone there in that moment, and it seemed that everyone had recouped from that sense of despair. If only Monokuma hadn't butted in...

"Ah, excuse me, but I haven't even told you about the teams yet!" Monokuma said. "You can't have a good camp without a little competitiveness, and in my mind, there's no sport more competitive than _murder_ now, is there? To those of you who haven't picked up a handbook, pick one up now. Those have your team allocations, and they'll be your bible while you're on this trip. I'll add pages as they're needed, but of course you'll have to pick those up manually. Now, you can find your team allocations on the third page of the handbook. Your team is indicated by the colour that your name is highlighted in: either Purple, Green, or Orange."

* * *

 **Purple**

Reserve Carpenter, Chizuko Adachi

Ultimate Dollmaker, Mayu Amari

Ultimate Guru, Kotaro Hino

Reserve Philosopher, Hitomi Itou

Ultimate Orator, Samuru Mori

Reserve Boatswain, Kenji Nakasone

Reserve Deadlifter, Jitsuko Saito

Ultimate Linguist, Kiyoshi Tachibana

 **Orange**

Reserve Art Scholar, Hisoka Arai

Ultimate Advertising Executive, Akemi Fujioka

Reserve Ice Skater, Yoshimi Isozaki

Ultimate Biomedical Engineer, Yamato Kaga

Ultimate Soccer Player, Hiroyuki Kazetani

Reserve Biathlonist, Goro Maeda

Reserve Basketballer, Hoshi Nakashima

Ultimate Journalist, Noriko Yanai

 **Green**

Reserve Genealogist, Iyona Hatsukuni

Reserve Production Assistant, Kumi Himura

Ultimate Locksmith, Leiko Iwai

Reserve Kleptomaniac, Seita Mori

Ultimate Rescue Worker, Erika Sakaguchi

Reserve Songwriter, Sora Sendo

Ultimate Osteologist, Ryoma Shiozu

Ultimate Mining Magnate, Daigo Yamamoto

 _ **24 Currently Remaining**_

* * *

"Now, do remember that this is a Killing Round Robin: So if you want to murder anyone, you'll have to wait your turn," Monokuma said. "The off-team for the first round will be Purple. For those of you envious of their position, don't worry: that just means they'll have to suffer through two consecutive rounds after this. You see, you all seem so awfully sure that nobody is going to kill anybody in this killing game. I hate to break the news to you: not all of you are as righteous as you think you are.

"After all: everyone can be broken, just watch."

"I refuse to believe that," Hisoka said. "We're all good people, who just want to go home: what better way to go home than together? I believe if we work as a team, we can escape with ease."

Monokuma cackled. "Well, think what you want: but be cautious, one of you is a traitor after all..."

"A traitor?" Said Ryoma, the boy donning a pink scarf with silver hair and a black shirt. "Do you mean one of us is working alongside the person organising this game?"

"Bing-o!" Monokuma yelled. "And by the way, just in case you didn't think I was serious about the gun on this thing or the landmines, let me show ya' a little something.

The Exisal pointed the gun down towards its feet, and fired. The single bullet pierced the grass, leaving a smouldering hole where it was shot. Then, it pointed the barrel into the distance, and fired. A huge explosion echoed throughout, the noise seemingly dispelling any doubts about the bear's otherwise dubious claims.

"Well, that's settled," Monokuma said. "See ya around, and enjoy the rest of your dreary lives. Holler if you need me!"

With that, Monokuma left. The Exisal remained behind, and for a moment, all of us stared up at it tensely. We had begun to realise the true gravity of this situation. We were hostages here, prisoners at the mercy of a war machine and a psychotic bear. We had two options: to murder someone and escape, or to walk four kilometres in the dark without stepping so much as an inch out of line.

We truly had begun to realise how hopeless their situation was. The gravity of the truth weighted down upon us as we stared up at that mechanised weapon: someone was likely going to die: if it wasn't on the way out of here, then it would be to the murders within.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: I'm going to be increasing my upload speed from now until we reach the first murder, and I'll probably start uploading chapters on Monday as well as Friday. I do hope the faster uploads become a permanent arrangement, but something about my erratic schedule says that might not be the case. Anyway, expect another update on Monday. I'll see you then!_


	7. Chapter 1-5: Know Thy Neighbour

Everyone stood, gobsmacked. Seita and Samuru stood back, watching everyone with judgemental eyes. Jitsuko stared at where the contraption stood now, staring up at it with both bewilderment and contempt. Leiko wore a flabbergasted expression, and the colourful yet perverse persona she had worn only a moment ago seemed to be replaced with an unwavering paralysis.

"What the fuck just happened?" Chizuko said.

"I think we're all trying to get our heads around that," Mayu replied. "He mentioned something about a traitor, didn't he?"

"Obviously, suspicion should fall on Yamato, shouldn't it?" Said Yona, wearing a black skull sweatshirt and a black and red striped skirt. "He said he knew something about this Danganronpa series, and that may be because he's working with Monokuma to run this thing."

"Think about that logically," Yamato cut in. "I'd virtually be outing myself as the traitor from the beginning, correct? Wouldn't the best thing to do as a turncoat be to try and avoid suspicion rather than bring it on myself?"

"I agree," said Kenji. "We shouldn't jump to conclusions at this point if we can't sustain them, we should try and get some cold, hard facts on who the real traitor is."

"What if there is none?" I asked. "Wouldn't be advantageous for the person behind this to make us all distrust one another so that we wouldn't work together?"

"I agree with Hitomi," Sora chimed in. "It would make more sense for there to be a fake traitor in order to make us all distrust one another, and also I doubt anybody would voluntarily be here and in cahoots with the person who put them here as well."

"B-but... what do we d-do n-n-now?" Kumi, the girl in men's suit pants and a shirt with the Tsubaki crest said. "W-we can't s-stay here?"

"Yeah, I hate to admit it, but it's looking like we're going to be stuck here for a while," Kotaro said. "I don't want to say this, but we may have to stay here: at least until we can find an actual way out."

"Why on Earth would anyone do this?" Daigo, the boy in the white suit said.

"Well, it's not a matter of why, some people are just twisted," Noriko, the girl in the jacket and jean shorts stated. "Still, if I find whoever is behind this, I'll bring a world of pain upon them..."

"I'm not sure that's the problem we need to be concerning ourselves with," Kenji said after a while. "I'll be honest, I'm a little worried."

Kiyoshi tugged on Kenji's arm, and then signed something to him.

"Kiyoshi says that... we shouldn't be worried, and we should trust in one another." Kenji said on Kiyoshi's behalf.

"Trusting each other is all well and good, but what we really need is to know about our situation," Yamato said. "Regardless of our desire for trust, we must truly understand whether it's possible that the traitor Monokuma alluded to is actually in our midst. We need to investigate, and see if we can find any evidence around here about the traitor, about the people organising this, or maybe even the way out of this."

"I agree," Jitsuko said. "We can't let the truth escape us in the name of hope, we need to discover all we can about this place, and utilise our knowledge to escape from this sick and twisted 'game', as the bear puts it."

"Does anybody remember anything about the moment leading up to their capture?" I asked. "Maybe that could shed some light on who's behind this."

"I remember seeing a person in a white hoodie," Taro said. "Guy looked like he was up to something. It had a strange logo not belonging to any clothing brand I remember, I think it was a cross in a circle?"

"A cross in a circle, huh?" Noriko said. "Maybe it's an organisation of some sort?"

"We don't know squat about these people," Hoshi interrupted. "We need to find some solid evidence."

"They must be an organisation of some sort," Chizuko said forcefully. "There's no way that one person rigged all of this up, the amount of legwork to build this whole place is massive."

"What makes you think this place was built recently?" I said. "The mould around the building I woke up in seemed to allude to the fact that it hadn't been used in some time."

"Yes, but there's one small problem with that assumption - there's still traces of sawdust around the building," Chizuko said. "If you're building a house and intending to use it, then usually you do a spring clean and remove any sawdust you find, and if you don't it blows away with the wind. Since there's still sawdust here, there's no doubt that these buildings were either constructed recently or haven't been used since construction."

"What are you saying then?" Jitsuko cut in. "You think that whoever did this just put the mould there?"

"No, obviously they didn't do that," Chizuko said. "That would just be downright bizarre."

"Guys, I think we're ignoring the elephant in the room here," Mayu said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, that war machine he's got there, Monokuma said nothing regarding it in the rules, right?" Mayu noted. "I find that interesting, since he said violence against the headmaster was not permitted, but said nothing about violence against the war-machine being against the rules."

"What are you going to do, smack it with a stick?" Yona said. "The reason he included it is because it's obvious."

"No, there's something strange about the Exisal, now that I think about it," Mayu said. "Shouldn't it have some sort of model code or production stamp on it?"

"A production stamp?" I asked. "Maybe it's somewhere we can't see it?"

"It would have to be on a visible part of the exterior," Mayu said. "If we can't see it, I don't think it is there, which is odd."

"Why is that odd?" Goro said. "It's for a killing game, why would they include a production stamp on a thing used for something like that?"

"Because if that were the case, then the producer would have had knowledge of what it was used for prior," Mayu said. "That means that however the person behind this got the Exisal, that it was produced specifically for this person. With that in mind, doesn't it seem strange that the person who's running this was able to custom-order or custom-design a war machine of this capacity?"

"You're saying that whoever this is, they can't just be a psychopath who's stolen a big plot of land and a military toy," Hiro said. "You're saying this person has some serious friends in high places, whoever they are."

"Well whoever they are, we're not falling for it," Hisoka interjected. "We'll expose this bigwig for the twisted maniac they truly are, I'm sure of it."

"Yeah, I doubt they'll be able to stop us if we work together," Ryoma, the boy with the pink scarf added. "I think the point of this twisted team rule is to make sure that none of us can trust one another, and to make us feel as if this is a game where no one is allied."

"You know, you're all being too optimistic," Samuru said.

The discussion that had overtaken the group now dispersed into a mutual silence, as all attention turned to Samuru. He stared back at them for a while, before continuing with what he had to say.

"The reality of the situation is, we've just been lumped in this life-or-death game, and someone here is making us play it. Each of you believes they can trust in others simply because they believe in themselves and think that's a reflection that goes for every single one of us here," Samuru stated. "There are twenty-four of us. In the event that one of us is considering betraying the rest, can you really put your trust in a group of twenty-four people you just met? Yamato, what do you think? You knew a little about this from the animated series from what you said, is it really wise to trust from this early on?"

Yamato sighed. "Look, I want to trust in everyone here, but realistically I must admit that it is too early to really understand anyone here. I hate to say this, but there's no way we can know how some people feel about following Monokuma until we understand one another."

"How about you, Mayu?" Samuru said. "You've been leading this discussion, after all."

"The truth is, I don't know anything about anyone here, and I'll be honest - I have a tendency to see the worst in things," she said. "It's a bad habit, I know, but what can be done?"

"Daigo, where do you stand?" Samuru asked.

"I... I must admit that this appears to be a rather dire situation, and though I am not sure I would commit murder to escape it, I think I speak for everyone when I state that 'knowing thy neighbor' is a necessity before we can make any conclusive assessments," Daigo said.

"Finally, how about you Iyona," Samuru said. "Who do you trust?"

"No-one," she replied. "You knew that already."

"Alright, I want everybody who believes everyone around them is undeniably trustworthy and intends to be fully co-operative to raise their hands," Samuru said. It didn't take a genius to figure out the result. Everyone shuffled about, and of the twenty-four of them, only two people raised their hands - Sora and Hisoka. The rest of us, seemingly convinced into suspicion by Samuru's speech, remained quiet as we cautiously assessed one another. Tension permeated the air, as we began to stare down one another in the hopes we might discover some minute detail to confirm our own uneasiness.

"Come on guys," Hisoka said. "Is there no-one here who can have a little faith in those around them from the get-go? Are we all going to be suspicious about one another?"

"I... I really do want us to trust in everyone else, I want to know trust," Seita said. "It's undeniable though, trust needs time, and if we don't betray the trust of one another, I believe we'll have more than enough of it. We simply need to be patient."

"I agree," Hiro said. "Really, we just need to learn a little more about one another, right? The best indicator of trust is time, remember that."

"Well, it's settled then," Leiko said. "We just got to give it time then, don't we?"

"Yeah, I'm sure this'll all get better with time," Goro said, after a moment's apprehension. "Time heals every wound, and I'm sure these foul circumstances are no different."

"See? Hot stuff's got the right idea," Leiko said, then lowered her voice. "Now only if..."

"You said something pleasant," Jitsuko interjected. "Don't ruin it with your profanities."

"Fine, be that way, but my ideas and my mouth are a package deal," she said. "And you know what they say about packages."

"At any rate, I must agree," Erika said. "The only way we're going to be able to manage this situation is by making the best of a bad situation, and finding out our strengths and weaknesses, in addition to our motivations."

"I'm all for talking with others," Yoshimi said. "Talking can always bring people closer!"

"I suppose the best way to do this would be to return to our individual dorms for now," Yamato said. "We can think about our own individual actions in smaller groups, and that way everyone will get a turn to speak."

"I agree," Kenji said. "Kiyoshi is on the same team as I am, so there shouldn't be any problems with her communicating."

"Well I don't," Samuru said. "I'd much prefer to spend my time with the one person I trust than seven that I can't."

"Hey, ain't you ever heard that trust takes time?" Hoshi said. "You want to be an ass about all this, then go ahead, but you aren't ever going to get trust if you try to ignore us all."

Samuru remained silent. He knew that Hoshi was right, but I thought that perhaps there was a part of him that wasn't entirely sure. Maybe there was a reason why Samuru didn't know trust, why he clung to his brother, and why he was so apprehensive to embrace the possibility of human innocence? Maybe he'd been hurt by it before, maybe he'd never known it. I suppose that would be all up to speculation.

"So, it's settled then," Sora said. "We'll use this time to talk together, and see if we can think of a way out of this place."

"Alright guys!" Chizuko said. "Let's get back to our dorm rooms, I'm sure we'll be able to nut this out if we work together, hey?"

"Yeah," I said. "I hope so."

In honesty, as I returned to the purple dormitory I had been assigned to, I was not entirely sure whether there was a way out of here. Truth was, I was scared - scared shitless. I put on a brave face, but I wasn't sure that bravery could really help me out here all that much. However, the honest reality that I could die here was something unfathomable to me. I couldn't understand it, not simply because it had yet to sink in, but because the whole idea that when tomorrow came one of us could be dead at the hands of another seemed frankly impossible. It made me sick to my stomach, but at the same time, distrusting those around me seemed so strange.

I just wanted to scream.

I wanted to scream to the heavens, to tell the winds and the treetops that the world was unfair, to tell the maddened deity lurking behind a cloud orchestrating this that it was unnatural: as if it didn't know already. I wanted to call out to the person behind this, and tell them that they were twisted beyond any fathomable and reasonable sense, and to make them understand the suffering they are causing by simply existing. As leaves were cast about by stray gales like tumbleweeds, I stared at my feet.

I didn't scream. Instead, I just stood there for a time.

Rain began to fall. I didn't move from my position. Perhaps this was retribution? Cosmic comeuppance? Maybe it was the price one paid for their sins in a past life. I thought for a moment that maybe I was never abducted. Maybe I had been murdered? Maybe this was some sick form of Limbo between us and the next life, designed to test our moral fortitude before embracing our new positions in the universe? Maybe we are all dead?

Or maybe, just maybe... this is Hell from within?

Still, I wanted to trust my friends. I wanted to trust everyone here. Even if this was the end.

Then again, I wish I could have told myself back then... that not everyone believes in the same virtue I do. Not all of us knew friendship, not all of us knew camaraderie, some of us lived in a vicious hinterland of deceit and subterfuge. Some of us will never trust another besides themselves.

And at the time, I didn't even know it, but the seeds of suspicion had already been sown. All they waited for now was to break the soil, so that they could truly grow...

* * *

 **PART 1: A Cynic's Natural Inclination, Daily Life**


	8. Chapter 1-6: A New Communal Life

By the time I arrived at the meeting that we had arranged, the other seven were already there. I was first to leave and last to arrive, which certainly would have piqued everyone else's curiosity regarding where I had been.

Each dormitory was fitted with a recreation room on the lower floor, as well as four rooms with a single bunk-bed in each. A small kitchenette, similar to the one I had found where I had woken up in Green Lodge, could be found at the end of the recreation room. There was also an upper floor, but as far as we knew the door to that was locked at the moment. I suppose maybe later I could ask someone about that. I headed back down to the rec room, and slumped into the long sofa. Chizuko sat at the other end, chatting away with Kotaro and laughing like a drunk in a pub. Kenji made hot chocolate for himself, Kiyoshi, and Jitsuko. Oddly enough, it seemed especially strange watching Jitsuko drink the stuff, as if it went against her pursuit of her physical figure: then again, her statements about that seemed to suggest that she didn't really want to pursue that anyway. Samuru was sitting vacantly and not at all willingly at a dining table, with his feet up and tuned out to the world. He definitely looked as if he wanted to be elsewhere, but I don't think it really was because he distrusted everyone here like he said. In actuality, he looked more as if he was lamenting being away from his brother than hating being with us. Finally, Mayu stood by the window, looking out at the remainder of the campsite. She seemed to have her eyes on the other dormitories, and stared intently into the distance at nothing in particular. I could only imagine that she was looking at something, or maybe even someone, but I was simply not privy to that information. Even still, I had to admire her unwavering persistence - whatever it was that had caught her attention, she did not seem intent on giving it up.

"So, what's the deal with this meeting then?" I asked.

Everyone turned to look at me in unison, realising I'd finally arrived.

"Would you like a hot chocolate?" Kenji asked. "I found the powder for it, and in my experience, a nice sugary beverage can help to alleviate stress in such times of trouble."

"Sure," I said. Kenji readied another cup, and spooned in a hearty portion of the powder. Taro started.

"Alright guys," Taro said. "I think the first order of business here is getting to know one another a little, you know? I think the best way to do that is to just talk about ourselves a little, maybe say a bit about your past or something?"

"Hey, not a bad idea," Chizuko said. "I'll start. So, I guess you probably already know me, but I'm Chizuko. I'm do carpentry, and I got into it at a young age because it was different from most of the other stuff available. Truth be told, I'm from a pretty well-off family, so carpentry was virtually the antithesis of what my parents wanted me to do: but life's simpler in carpentry. There's no complications, nothing distracting you, just the sensation of sawdust upon your fingertips as you work away at something amazing. That's why I do carpentry! I also have an older sister and a younger brother, and I want to set an example to my brother."

"Huh, nice job Chizuko," Taro said. "You did good. Anyone else wanna follow on from that?"

"I suppose I might as well jump in," Kenji said. "I'm Kenji, if we haven't been introduced yet. I manage yachting equipment for the boat club, and give directives to the deck crew. The job title 'Boatswain' is a bit old fashioned, but I find it's the one that best describes my duties. I've only taken up boating recently, but I'm showing signs of having a lot of talent, and I hope that'll carry me into the future. I hope we can all work together in the future, whatever happens."

"Alright Kenji!" Taro said. "We're on a roll here, this is great..."

"Is it now?" Samuru interjected.

"What do you mean?" Taro replied, with a worried look on his face.

"We can introduce ourselves and be merry all we want, but the truth still stands that we need to find an escape from this place," Samuru said. "We can't just sit about, and pussyfoot around giving introductions to one another, we need to find a way out of this place. Right now, time's the only ally we have, and you're wasting it."

"Come on, Samuru," Taro said. "We need to get to know each other, we need to..."

"I know how you work, Taro," Samuru said. "I've read your file and I've analysed your talent, but most importantly I've seen how you act. Taro, you talk tall, but that's all you do. I've seen many people like you in my line of work, and most of them spout hollow promises which I have to spend hours debunking. That can be good at times, but we don't need a man of words right now - we need a man of action."

"What is your problem?" I asked.

"Hate me all you want," Samuru said. "Truth is, I want to get out of here alive - and if you do as well, then we have to take the first steps. Yamato tried to when we got here, let's follow his example, not Taro's."

"I must admit that I find myself agreeing with Samuru," Mayu said. "I wouldn't rate our chance of survival highly if we decided to simply try and talk about one another, in actuality that might be what Monokuma is using to distract ourselves from him. Still, we can't just do this without a firm foundation of trust. At the moment, trust in one another is the only thing we can rely on."

"What makes you think you can rely on that though?" Samuru said. "Humans always disappoint, so why?"

"I feel like there's more to that remark than you're letting on," I interjected. "What really made you have so little faith in people?"

"Why would I tell you," Samuru said. "I've just met you, and already you're trying to pry into my private affairs."

"I'm trying to help you," I said.

"Well you can't!" Samuru exclaimed. "If you could, the fucked-up mess that is my head would've been solved a long time ago! You know, I've been going to Tsubaki as a fee-paying student for two years with my brother, and not once have I met anyone there that I could safely call a friend. You know how many fucking people there are at Tsubaki? Do you? There's seven hundred! You want to know why I have no trust in humans, it's because people see me or my brother and instantly assume we're going to jack their bloody lunch money. That's what they think of us - they think we're petty thieves reaching above our mark."

The room grew silent, cold almost. I was sure Samuru wasn't a bad guy, and this all but confirmed it - but if his distrust of others stemmed this deep, who could he truly confide in? I suppose after all this time, the only person truly there for him was his brother.

I felt sorry for him.

In reality, I felt a similar way. I was an only child for most of my time growing up, and my relationship with my parents could get rocky at times. In reality though, they were my rock in the same way Seita was Samuru's. Outside of them, I had a few friends, but my friendships were always in flux. Even in romantic relationships, the guys I tended to go out with were the cocky jock types, who always had a habit of making me feel more lonely by the end than I did before. I suppose I wasn't entirely in the same place as Samuru, but I empathised a little with his case. Even if I hadn't been subjected to the same things he had, I could at the very least understand his pain a little.

"Well, if you don't want to, we can save introductions for the moment," I interjected. "I think Samuru just needs a little time to open up to others, so let's just try and get our bearings about this place itself."

"Agreed," Jitsuko said, as she sipped away at the hot chocolate. She put her MonoPad on the table, and turned the pages over to the map. Meanwhile, Kenji tapped me on the shoulder, and offered me a hot chocolate. I politely accepted, and began to sip as everyone looked over the map."

"From what it looks like, Purple Dorm is slightly north of the centre, about here," Taro said. "As we saw when we came back, all three dorms are arranged in a triangle surrounding the main building, which contains the food stores as well as the locker room, and an all purpose dining area with a lot more facilities than the small kitchenettes here do. Between Orange and Green houses is the Watchtower, which is a rather rickety spire allowing for a vantage point across the entirety of the camp."

"Hey, what about the bar?" Chizuko asked. "Didn't Monokuma say there was a bar?"

"I believe that can be found in the main building as well," Taro said.

"Yes..." Chizuko said.

"Unfortunately, with the way the bar is set up, it is currently inaccessible," Taro said.

"Why is that?" I asked.

"Well, Monokuma has done something rather interesting," Taro said. "He set a nighttime only regulation on the bar itself, but the only way to the bar is through the inventory rooms, which are only accessible during the daytime. Because of that, there's no way to get in the bar yet, as all the windows are locked."

"You've got to be kidding me, how the hell could you miss that?" Chizuko said.

"I don't think he did," Taro said. "I think the way it is set up, the restriction on the bar will only be lifted if the nighttime restriction on the inventory room is lifted, or maybe he simply didn't want us to enter the bar at all?"

"So, how do we lift the restriction then?" I asked.

It was then that the bear showed up once more, this time on the television. He seemed to have a keenly trained eye on us, as if he had been watching us all the whole time.

"Well, you take your stuff out of there, of course!" Monokuma said. "The only reason for that restriction is to make sure nobody tries any funny business during the nighttime with someone else's stuff, you know?"

"Our stuff?" I asked.

"Yeah, your belongings, your personal effects, all that crap you were carrying on you," Monokuma continued. "It's all in there if it's not on you now."

"Did you rob us while we were asleep?" I said.

"I know, I know, a Headmaster shouldn't take people's stuff - but I mean, this is so much more exciting that way, you know?" Monokuma said. "Anyway, I actually came to tell you something other than that you know, so listen close..."

"What do you want?" Samuru said, giving the bear a menacing death-glare.

"Ooh, feisty, he's giving me the look!" Monokuma replied. "Puhuhu, I wonder when a kid like you's gonna crack?"

"Don't count on it," Samuru said.

"Anyway, I know you guys aren't technically involved and all, but I figured I'd tell you that the televisions are now working," Monokuma said. "Think of them as your 'Link to the Outside World'."

"Why would you give us something like that," Mayu said. "Is there some ulterior motive at play here?"

"Nuh-uh, nothing except the motive, that's all," Monokuma said. "Oops, I let that slip. Guess you guys are going to figure it out after all, aren't you?"

"Wait, a motive for murder?" Chizuko said. "How the hell does getting the television to work make someone want to do that?"

"Well, I guess I should tell you that it's what's on the television that counts," Monokuma said. "After all, it's non-stop news about you guys, 24/7, from beginning to end!"

"Wait, what?" I asked.

"Well, I got a team of fact junkies to scour everything available on the internet about you guys," Monokuma said. "The result is this - news, but not as you know it! Every day that a murder doesn't take place, the television will begin to air more sensitive information about each of you, until on the seventh day it will divulge a secret so personal you'll literally die of shame! Puhuhu, I know a few people who'll have a field day with that juicy goss. And boy, Kenji and Samuru, yours are absolute rippers."

He singled out Kenji, and he turned flush. Whatever it was Monokuma had on Kenji, it was probably big. He then turned toward Samuru, and even he looked a little disturbed by Monokuma despite his usual expression of apathy.

"Even still, don't think about doing anything rash, you guys," Monokuma said. "After all, you've got immunity - so savour it while you can."

Monokuma's signal cut out, and was replaced by what appeared to be a news broadcast. It read "MonoNews" in the corner of the screen, along with the channel number 2. Pictured on screen was Goro, and the news broadcast was talking about a rather humiliating story which occurred when he was six.

"So what, this is going to be going for the rest of the week then?" I asked.

"Well yeah, I imagine so," Taro said. "I don't think anyone'd be stupid enough to commit murder just for a little secret after all."

Kiyoshi approached us, and smiled as she signed something out to us. Kotaro nodded.

"You know sign?" I asked Taro.

"Comes with the position," Taro replied. "I've got to know how to communicate to be the Ultimate Guru, you know?"

"Why didn't you do that earlier, you know, when we found her?" I said.

"I thought Mayu did a mighty fine job of introducing her, no need to add more cooks to the broth," Taro said.

"So, what did she say?" I asked.

"She said that she doesn't think anyone could have secrets bad enough to make them follow Monokuma, and she thinks that even if they do, that they can come to terms with them if they just talk them over," Taro said. "She thinks that if we get to know each other well enough, we can get over any hurdle Monokuma gives us."

"Anyway, I find it strange that you both appear to know JSL, and you both ended up in the dorm that you were needed in," Jitsuko said.

"I think it's highly probable that the mastermind orchestrated that," Kenji said. "The person behind this does seem to demonstrate some awareness of our lives, and seems to have a lot of authority. Perhaps they are a politician or something?"

"I don't think so," Samuru said. "If it was a politician or someone in government, there'd be no need for the bear as was said earlier. This is the work of a fanatic, and perhaps a very wealthy one."

"Still, I think the mastermind knows more about us than we do about them," Mayu said. "We should be cautious. They may just know what makes us tick."

"You think so?" I said. "That's pretty scary to think about."

"Yeah," Mayu replied. "I think we can all agree: Monokuma knows more about us, and he probably isn't bluffing about those secrets."

"So, what should we do?" I asked.

"All that we can do," Taro said. "Let's just go get our stuff from inventory before it gets dark, and get back here."

"I don't... really want to," Kenji said apprehensively. "Truth is... I'm more than a little worried that we're playing into Monokuma's hands."

Kiyoshi turned to Kenji, and signed something out in sign language. The worried timidity he had expressed before seemed to fade away, and he smiled as he signed something back to Kiyoshi. I didn't have the heart to ask what had been said, but I suppose it wasn't strictly necessary for me to know.

"Alright, I suppose I'll come with you guys," Kenji said. "There's no point cowering in here waiting for something bad, is there?"

"That's the spirit!" Chizuko said. "Come on guys, let's go!"

Together, all eight of us headed toward the main building. Chizuko and Taro led the pack, with everyone else following along behind. Samuru stayed slightly behind us, staring at the open sky, slightly disengaged from the rest of the group. I looked up as well. Cirrus clouds decorated the sky, streaking the blue of the atmosphere with a strange pattern. From the ground looking up, the way they were scattered seemed to look like a shogi board, making a gridded lattice in the sky that seemed oddly suspicious and unnatural in their arrangement. I looked up at the clouds often when I was worried, to take my mind off what was at hand or to escape my fickle and ephemeral body and step into the world of the aether. In truth, I thought clouds were the best medicine.

So it surprised me, today, that the clouds just gave me more questions than they did answers.

Perhaps now was the time to get my head out of the clouds after all?


	9. Chapter 1-7: The Trinkets We Hold Close

We arrived at the main hall. The place was dreary, and though it seemed as if only recently it had been constructed, it had a certain undeniable sense of antiquity for reasons I did not know. Maybe it was just its natural state, with this place being a camp and all. However, something felt off about the place: it was eerily unnerving. The main building itself was simply a series of rooms connected to a lone corridor, including what looked to be a kitchen and dining hall in addition to the store and inventory rooms Monokuma mentioned earlier. I wondered whether the food here might run out at some point, but that didn't seem to be a concern at the moment: for now, there was enough food to keep us here for months on end.

Not that anyone planned on being here that long anyway.

We headed into the inventory room. To our left was a set of twenty-four pigeon holes, each one labelled with our names. In the right corner of the room, there was a gigantic Monokuma Statute, which looked incredibly heavy and rather ridiculous. Whoever was behind that bear mascot certainly had an ego the size of Mount Everest, and the statue seemed to be just a little more evidence of that. On the back wall, a series of instructions for the room could be seen, right next to the bar's entrance.

* * *

 _INVENTORY ROOM RULES_

 _You may only leave this room with your own belongings. Taking other people's personal effects from this room is unacceptably rude, and is also a punishable offence._

* * *

Only the one rule was visible on the plaque, but it had room for several others. It seemed as if it had been designed with more rules in mind initially, however that was just an assumption on my part. The door to the bar lay at the opposite side of the room to the entrance, though it looked as if it wouldn't be accessible for a while yet. I looked at the pigeon holes. The only people whose pigeon-holes had already been looted were Hiro, Daigo, and Sora. Other than that, everyone else's pigeon holes were full. I looked through a few of them.

In Hisoka's pigeon-hole, there were five Epinephrine Auto-Injectors. It was funny though, I never knew he had allergies of any kind. That, coupled with what looked to be a G.I. Joe figurine, served to paint an incredibly different picture from what I thought about him. Kotaro grabbed his stuff from his pigeon-hole. The only thing in there was an old iPod with no wireless capabilities and a set of earbuds. In honesty, it had been a long time since I'd seen one of those. Chizuko also looted his locker, grabbing out a massive construction hammer.

"Oh, look," he said. "It's my lucky hammer!"

In my opinion, it didn't look particularly lucky at all. The hammer was halfway destroyed, and the claw on the back was looking as if it would fall off at any moment. The handle had fallen off the metal shaft a long time ago, and Chizuko's attempt at a replacement was to duct-tape the shit out of it until it made a new hammer: now even the duct tape was showing signs it was ready to simply fall off. I doubt he'd use a hammer in that bad a state to accomplish anything...

...but honestly, I wouldn't be surprised.

I looked in some of the other lockers. Kumi's had a small camcorder, as well as a notepad and jotting paper. There was nothing particularly out of the ordinary, but the camera itself looked somewhat beat-up: by no means as bad as the hammer though. Akemi's had a wallet, and a single polaroid of her with a boy I didn't recognise, smiling. Maybe he was special to her? I didn't know. Leiko's had a set of spare lock picks, and what looked to be a toiletries bag filled to the brim. I wondered what with, but if it belonged to Leiko, maybe that was a question better left unanswered.

I had spent a hell of a lot of time gandering at other people's stuff, but it occurred to me that I hadn't checked my own locker. I looked over, and surely enough, there was only one thing in my locker.

The locket.

It was a memento given to me by my parents. It was something of sentimental value to me, as I had been given it when I was a baby by my parents. The locket had no photos on the inside, just the words "may love always surround you". Despite its age, it was still in a surprisingly good condition. It felt relieving to have it on me. Even in this bizarre situation, at least there was a trace of the outside world within my palm. As we all collected our inventory items, Daigo wandered into the room.

"I am guessing you guys are here to collect your personal effects?" Daigo said.

"Yeah," Taro replied. "You get yours already?"

"I had very little that was personal to me, apparently," Daigo said. "Just a withered rose and a pack of business cards, I suppose I am far from the saccharine type."

"Why did you have a withered rose on you?" Kenji asked.

"It was a rose boutonnière I wore to a function, which has since wilted in Monokuma's possession. I had it on me when I was abducted," Daigo replied. "Still, I thought we were only unconscious for a day or so, but the state of this flower suggests it must have been a week, if not more."

"Wait, you're telling me we were unconscious for a week?" Chizuko said.

"My guess exactly," Daigo stated. "A week, if not more."

"How can you tell that from just a flower?" Chizuko asked.

"Because the rate at which it has wilted suggests that it would not be in this state unless we had been unconscious for at least a week," Daigo said. "That was probably why a lot of us were incredibly lethargic when waking, as we had spent such a copious quantity of time unconscious."

"Ugh, that makes no sense!" Chizuko exclaimed.

"How does it not?" Daigo asked.

"Just, my gut says it doesn't add up, alright?" Chizuko answered, sighing. "The state of this building, the state of the rose, I'm sure there's an answer, but I don't bloody know it."

"Do not trust your gut," Daigo said. "In my years of experience, the gut is best for digestion, not for decisions. The gut just creates unnecessary unease that can be curbed with proper planning and understanding."

"I would've thought someone in you industry would trust your gut a little more," Chizuko said.

"Perhaps, and maybe I wish I did too," Daigo said.

As Daigo and Chizuko talked away together, I noticed that Samuru seemed distracted by something in his inventory locker. He was staring down at what appeared to be a silver bracelet. Meanwhile, Kiyoshi looted her own locker, pocketing a black notebook and a pencil with an eraser on the end. She then proceeded to write something in the notepad. I didn't notice it all that much, until I realised that the notepad was her way of talking - and she was trying to talk to me.

"I have my notepad now," it read. "I'm very sorry that I can't talk."

I almost felt sorry for her. Being unable to talk shouldn't have been something you had to apologise for, but even still she felt the need to.

"Don't worry," I said. "If you can't talk, then don't force yourself to. Just use the notepad."

Kiyoshi smiled, and then erased the note before writing something else on the paper. After a few seconds, she turned the notepad back to me, and I read what was on it.

"Thank you!" It read. "I'm sure we'll get along well."

"Yeah," I replied. "I just hope this place doesn't do anything to stop that from happening."

She erased the note again, and rewrote on the paper. Though conversing with her was a little slow without knowledge of JSL, she seemed like an engaging and friendly person.

"Are you worried?" The paper read.

"I think we're all a little worried," I replied. "I think we're all worried that someone here is going to take Monokuma's words seriously, that someone is going to wind up dead, or that all of us will be stuck here forever until only three of us are left."

Kiyoshi erased what was on the notepad, and then wrote over it. I read what she had to say.

"I'm not worried," the notepad said. "I believe in everyone here. We can get through this together!"

"I hope you're right, Kiyoshi," I replied. "I really hope you're right."

A lingering pessimism still gnawed away at me, the utterly despairing sensation of distrust still lingered. In honesty, I wasn't sure what to think: in a place like this, it was fair game for a person with little in the way of a moral constitution. I think in having hope, we were simply allowing those who were readily embracing the truth of this place to get a head start. Hope, Despair, the two were one in the same. Two sides of a coin - but still both of the one coin.

"Hey, just out of interest Daigo, did you see either Sora or Hiro come through here when you were here?" Mayu asked.

"I did not see Hiro, but I did encounter Sora on my way here," Daigo said. "Sora served as my investigative associate. We were tasked with investigating the inventory rooms. If Hiroyuki were to have arrived, he would have done so significantly earlier than us. Perhaps when the announcement about the inventory room was made?"

"So Monokuma gave the same message to you guys?" Mayu asked. "He told you about both the motive and the inventory room?"

"I believe so," Daigo said.

"That is strange, don't you think?" Mayu said. "I was under the impression that was something that Monokuma let slip to just us as the off-team."

"Yeah, I have to agree: it does seem strange," Jitsuko added, as she took what looked to be a tub of protein powder from her pigeon-hole.

"I don't think it's strange at all," Samuru said. "Monokuma's probably made it slip to every team. That way, each team think they have an understanding that the others don't about the TV. If we can't know what everyone else knows, then the first thing that begins to emerge is..."

Samuru left the question hanging in the air for a bit. Mayu and I stared at him for a while, before finally Taro cut in to answer.

"...suspicion," Taro said.

"Precisely," Samuru said. "The off-handed nature of it was to make it seem as if it was something the other teams wouldn't have heard, but the truth is that Monokuma gave the same message to everyone. The way that message was presented though, it was deliberately designed to make us think that the other teams received differing messages. So you see what I mean now? Monokuma's playing us, toying with us, and he's using subtle manipulation techniques to drive us to murder. If Monokuma is really as capable as he appears, then we may already be stumbling headlong into an incident that we don't have the capabilities to deal with."

"You think that one of us is going to die?" Taro said.

"I hate to be the bearer of bad news," Samuru replied. "However, that is what the evidence suggests."

"How can you believe that?" Chizuko asked. "If we all work together, Monokuma doesn't stand a chance!"

"Teamwork can't just dispel the threat of a gatling gun, you know?" Samuru stated. "If you think the power of heart can stop that war machine from tearing us to pieces at any second, then you're fucking delusional."

"We have to have hope!" Chizuko said. "The people outside, they'll come to rescue us, it's just a matter of time!"

"Guys, stop fighting!" Taro exclaimed. "Look, I understand you both have your differences, but there ain't any point taking out your emotions on one another. At the end of the day, we need to work together. Can you do that for me?"

"For now, I suppose," Samuru said. "Although I will make one thing abundantly clear. I intend to ensure that both my brother and I are survivors, by any means possible. If you guys find a way to escape from here, then I'm happy to cooperate. But until then..."

Samuru's expression darkened. What was previously an expression of indifference and apathy twisted into a strangely sinister smirk, laced with both a certain malice yet a somewhat translucent vulnerability.

"...I'm going to bide my time, until everyone else here is dead, and there's only three of us left," Samuru said. "Rest assured, my brother and I will be among that number. We mean to escape alive."

He left the room. The air was heavy with his lingering words, and with his statements he seemed to have brought us all down. I didn't blame him though. That vulnerability still lingered upon his face as he left. He was just as scared as the rest of us, and for a person who had no confidants or acquaintances, the best way for an individual like him to address an issue was with animosity. It worried me though. If he really did think that way, he may pose a threat to the remainder of the group. Perhaps it wouldn't be the worst idea to lock him away in one of the rooms on suspicion to commit. It would be justified - I would be protecting the group at large. Unfortunately though, there didn't appear to be anything even halfway useful for detaining a person in a place like this. Maybe because it was a camp rather than a prison?

By the time I stopped thinking, everyone except Kiyoshi had left the room. It seems I had wasted more time in my head than I had first thought.

"Kiyoshi, what do you think of Samuru?" I asked.

It took her a while to write her response on the notepad, as if she were picking the right words. For the Ultimate Linguist, to be truly out of words about somebody really must have said a lot about the person. She turned the paper to me.

"He means well," it read. "I think he's hurting and fearful. We just need to wait for him to open up to others, trust is earned after all!"

"Yeah, I think you're right," I replied. "I just hope we have enough time to do that."

I sighed as I left the room, and headed over to the dining hall adjacent. I thought Kiyoshi was going to remain behind, but as I left she bolted to the door behind me, following me. It was a strange reaction, but I didn't really take much notice of it. Instead, I headed with Kiyoshi to the kitchen and dining hall. It seemed that three or four people were already in there. Hoshi was sitting at the table, having a blast as she put her feet up and avoided doing anything. Meanwhile, Yoshimi set the table with plates for twenty-four. There were seats for all of us with space left over. There was twenty-four seats, eleven on either side with two on either end. Hisoka and Hiro were at work in the kitchen, with Hisoka appearing to be in charge. The two of them seemed to synergise well together, with Hiro acting as a kitchen-hand to Hisoka as he prepared something with a delicious scent that made my mouth water.

"Sup," Hoshi said. "What'd you need in here?"

"Oh, I figured I'd just take a look around," I said. "Begin to get my bearings a little, you know?"

"Fair enough," Hoshi said. "Boy, this whole situation has been a fucking mess. I'd rather just sit down and chill out."

"Each to their own, I guess," I replied.

Yoshimi continued to set down plates. I don't think she had noticed me when I entered, but as she looked up, she saw me and came over.

"Oh, Hitomi, excellent timing!" Yoshimi said. "Do you mind helping me set these out?"

"Sure, I'll give you a hand," I replied.

Kiyoshi quickly jotted something down on the notepad, and showed it to Yoshimi.

"Yeah, the more the merrier!" Yoshimi said.

Together, we all helped to set out places for the twenty-four or so people who would be dining here. While we laid down places for everyone, Hoshi continued to sit unmoving in her spot, with her foot on the table.

"Why don't you help out a little, Hoshi?" I asked.

"Eh, sure," Hoshi said. She stood up, and started placing plates on the table. Unlike the rest of us, who were meticulous and careful, Hoshi's performance seemed more like a speed-run. Forks and knives were crooked and sometimes on the wrong side, and she often neglected to place a napkin by a plate. However, even I had to admit that she was lightning fast, even if the quality of her table-setting left something to be desired. Together, we finished the table in record time. Hisoka called out from the kitchen.

"I see you've got the places set there," Hisoka said. "Good job guys."

"Thanks!" Yoshimi said. "Any news from the kitchen?"

"We're almost done in here," Hisoka said. "If you want to send out a dinner call, the plates'll be dished up by the time you get back."

"What's on the menu?" I asked.

"That's a surprise," Hiro chimed in. "Just you wait and see."

Yoshimi left the room, and I helped dish up the plates with Kiyoshi, Hiro, Hisoka, and Hoshi. Even in the midst of this whole crisis, at least having a meal was still a normal thing. I hoped that would remain the same, but evidence suggested otherwise. Still, when I worked away with the others at preparing dinner, the entire situation began to gain a little normality - it seemed like less of an alien thing now, although maybe that was just me becoming accustomed to this terrible place. It seemed as if everything would be alright. There were some things that not even Monokuma could destroy.

I believed in that.

* * *

 _Author's Note: By the way, there are polls on my account page now which you can vote on. From Chapter 2 onwards, they'll be used to figure out what free time interactions you guys most want to see. At the moment, the question is "Who do you think will be the first Victim?"_


	10. Chapter 1-8: Friendship and Feasting

It would be another thirty minutes before everyone arrived. Though the food was slightly cold after all of us arrived, the warmth of the table most certainly made up for it. The meal was a simple roast and potato stew, one of the only meals that Hisoka thought to make for a group so large, but in my personal opinion a beautiful dish nonetheless. Luckily, Hisoka had thought to make something that wasn't spicy. I was happy about that. The table we sat at was large and tacky, and it was draped with an antiquated and flowery tablecloth that seemed to be the very antithesis of the otherwise dull table that looked akin to an ikea reject. The two were almost completely inverse, but somehow they maintained a bizarre synergy that tied in with the harmonious nature of the room. Perhaps it wasn't really that they worked together, but rather the hope permeating the room distracted the eyes from the chaos of it, if only for a second.

"Guys, may I have your attention!" Hisoka said, as he tapped a glass with a spoon. He then proceeded to go into a monologue. "Look, I know this has been a struggle for all of us, but even in spite of the times we must come together and work as one," Hisoka said. "I would like to mention that tonight's meal has been brought to you courtesy of Hitomi, Kiyoshi, Hoshi, Yoshimi, Hiro, and myself, and we all worked hard on it together. Hey, I'll be the first to admit it looks a little shabby, but presentation was never really my strong point anyway."

We all laughed a little. For a person who was dressed like a Gyaruo, to say that presentation was never his strong point was an understatement, but it was funny to hear from him nonetheless.

"Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone involved in tonight's meal. I know that we all have our doubts and fears, but I can assure you: provided we can take a seat and have a meal together, nothing will be able to faze us," he said. "It's due to the dutiful work of all those I mentioned, as well as everyone in this room, that we're able to work together here toward a common goal. Now, I know that we can all get along, in pursuit of that goal."

He raised his glass, then drank what was within. The fact that it was bright orange soda might have dampened the message a little, but it still remained impactful to everyone who heard it. We continued with dinner. Akemi sat opposite me, Goro sat next to me on the left, and Yona reluctantly sat my right. Even Samuru seemed to be engaged with the room a little, but Yona stared out of the room as she sat to the far corner of the table, with me sitting next to her. She was preoccupied with something. Her mind seemed to stew on something, and though I could not tell for the life of me what it was, it was most certainly eating away at her from the inside. I saw that she had gained a satchel from when we last spoke, likely from the inventory room. I wondered what was inside, but I knew that it was probably just paperwork or something.

"You troubled?" I asked.

"Do I look troubled?" She replied.

"I mean, you look a little worried," I replied.

"I'm worried enough for myself, you don't need to jump on the bandwagon," she said. "I don't like bandwagoners."

I sat in silence for a while, and after letting the tension hang in the air for a little, I decided to divert my attention to Goro. He was chatting a little with Kumi a little, and they seemed to be getting along alright. Akemi however seemed a little worried about something. She stared down at the polaroid photo that had been in her locker. After a while, she looked up at me, and noticed I was staring at the photo.

"Oh, sorry, I suppose I shouldn't be absorbing myself in other things at dinner," Akemi said. "My parents say I do that a little too much."

"Who is he?" I asked.

"He?" She replied. "You saw the photo?"

"Yeah, just when I was picking up my stuff from the inventory room," I replied. "Is he special to you?"

"Well, I mean, a little," she said tentatively. "I think I'm more special to him in honesty. His name's Shin. I said I'd go on a date with him on Thursday, but I guess I won't be making it to that."

"A date?" I said. "I'm pretty sure he's special to you, especially if you're carrying that around with you."

She sighed a little.

"Perhaps," she replied. "Still, I think we can all say the same thing. Each and every one of us is leaving someone or something behind just by being here. Honestly, I think these inventory things have been more damaging to most of us than they have been consoling. They've given us chunks of the outside world, and it's making each and every one of us a little homesick in here."

"What about you, Yona?" I asked.

"If you must know, I'm not homesick," Yona replied. "It's something else entirely."

"What's the matter?" I asked. I sensed visible concern in Yona, even despite her trying to put on the tough and uncaring facade that she had maintained throughout the camp. There was something in her bag, something that had concerned her above all things.

"Did you hear about Monokuma locking the inventory room for any reason?" Yona asked Akemi specifically.

"No, why?" Akemi replied.

"Well, when I went down there initially while Hitomi and the rest were in the kitchen, the door was jammed shut," Yona said. "I came back fifteen minutes later, and entered the inventory room once more. I don't know who or what locked that door, nor do I know why. When I retrieved my stuff though, I noticed something interesting."

"What was it?" I asked.

"This," she replied, showing me a family tree. Most of it appeared computer-generated, and it was filled with blank spaces with the exception of Iyona's own name. It looked like a rough template of some kind.

"Why are you showing me an empty family tree?" I asked. "Is this a symbolic message to you or something?"

"Because this was never mine," Yona answered. "As far as I can tell, my inventory was the only one that was tampered with, and I can't for the life of me figure out why."

Yona banged the table in frustration, twice. It was a light tap, but still received the attention of Goro and Hiro sitting opposite him.

"Is something the matter?" Goro asked.

"Yeah, what's up," Hiro chimed in as well.

"It's... nothing," Yona said.

"Cheer up, it's not going to do you any good just silently stewing on it," I said. "I know from experience that unaddressed problems can drive people crazy."

"How would you know that?" Yona said.

"I have to play peacemaker between two of the most hostile forces on the planet: my parents," I said. It wasn't a lie. My father was incredibly immature, and my mother was a woman who was always all-business. Together, they were about the farthest thing from the dream team that you could find. It would be fairer to call them the "nightmare team". My father always made petty mistakes and tried to have a kinship with his kids rather than a role as a parental guardian, and my mother had called him "an extra child" on multiple occasions. He could be aggressive like a child, he could be naughty like a child, and for most of my early childhood my mother began to treat him similarly as a result. Not that I blamed either one of them, but I was always the one to resolve their disputes. There had always been an underlying issue between the pair of them, beside that dichotomy, and it was one that I ended up rooting out. It was then my parents realised: it had taken a child of twelve years of age to resolve the quarrel between two adults. I think they came to the realisation that both of them were acting like children, and they tried to get along better as a result. Unaddressed problems had driven them crazy over the years, and it was because I was in the thick of it that I saw a little of what was lying beneath the surface of Yona's mind. Practice makes perfect; I'd had a lifetime of practice, after all.

"Would you believe me if I said I didn't trust you?" Yona replied.

"Yeah, we did just meet after all," I said. "If you ever need a friend though..."

"Don't count on it," Yona said. Despite her standoffish nature, I thought I saw a twinge of a smile flicker upon her lips. It was a step in the right direction, even if only a small one. Still, I doubt I'd get a peep out of her at the moment. These things take time. She stared out the window once more, and I turned my attention back to the table.

"She okay?" Goro said.

"Just a little worried about something," I replied. "Leave her be."

"Yeah, alright," Goro replied. "Say, so have you two met yet?"

Goro gestured to Kumi, who stared at me for a moment before grabbing a bread roll and packing it into her mouth.

"Yeah, we met earlier," I said. "She ran off, so I didn't quite get to talk for as long as I wanted to, but a quick intro's better than none I suppose."

"Oh fair enough," Goro said. "She can be a little shy when meeting new people."

"Aren't we all," I replied reassuringly. "So, Kumi, you said you were a production assistant?"

She turned to face me. "Y-y-yeah," she replied. "W-what ab-bout it?"

"What have you worked on in the past?" I asked cordially.

"J-j-just a f-few films w-with the f-f-film dep-p-partment," she replied.

"Geez, I didn't think her stammer was this bad," Goro muttered to himself. "It certainly wasn't a second ago."

"Well, what were they called?" I asked.

"I w-worked on a t-t-thriller called K-k-Killer Killer," she said. "And a s-s-student m-made romance film at Ts-ts-Tsubaki called R-Rose Thorns."

"That sounds awesome," I replied.

"I hate it," she said in a low voice, without a stutter at all.

"Really?" I said.

"R-really," she replied. "I-I want t-t-to b-be in f-f-front of the c-c-cameras, not beh-h-hind them."

"She's scared of cameras, but she wants to be an actor slash director," Goro said. "That's why she carries that film camera. Her parents bought it for her birthday, and she hopes someday that she'll be able to stand in front of it without curling up like a ball."

Kumi seemed as if she was about to say something, but stopped herself. Whatever it was, I didn't pry.

"Well still, Kumi, you seem like a great gal," Hiro said endearingly. It was not supposed to sound like a pick-up line, but the way it came out seemed to say otherwise. "I'm sure that camera won't stand a chance up against the likes of you."

Kumi was a little taken aback initially, but sensing his kind intent, she realised he was trying to reassure her.

"T-t-thank y-you," she replied.

"By the way, Hitomi, do you know who made this stew?" Hiro said jokingly. "I simply have to give them a well-earned kiss, their cooking skills are divine."

"Nice try," I replied. "Although I must admit, I'm surprised you guys managed to pull something like this together, it tastes great."

"Yeah, Hisoka was the brains behind it. Say what you will about his fashion sense, but that kid can cook, and he sure as hell can speak," Hiro said. "Only thing he doesn't gave going for him is that he dresses up like the recipient of a mid-life crisis."

"Heh, that we can agree on," I replied. "He's... one hell of a kid, to be keeping a level-head in a situation like this."

"Some people are just born that way," Hiro said. "They just take charge when others are troubled. Even if they don't look the most reliable, they change in turbulent times."

"You think he's like that?" I asked Hiro.

"Yeah, I've seen people like him occasionally," Hiro said, then clarified his remarks. "I've been on the soccer field for most of my life, and I've seen some shocking injuries and some close losses. Some people just pipe up and take charge when those things happen, pulling 10 to 1 odds out of their arse and saving our bacon. True miracle workers."

Hiro chowed down the rest of his hotpot, as I stared across at Hisoka. I wondered what challenges he had seen. To remain unfazed in such a situation, how was such a quality as leadership even born in a person, let alone a quirky kid like himself. He was an Art Scholar that dresses up like a Male Host; a real strange candidate for leadership. As Hiro and I were talking, Goro coughed a few times into a handkerchief, before he began to splutter a little. I turned to him.

"Are you alright?" I asked.

"Never... better," he said, as he stifled another cough. "I might call it a night tonight, and head back to my bunk. Thanks for making such a lovely evening out of all this, Hisoka."

Hisoka already had his attention on Goro, as did everyone else during his coughing fit, but it took him a couple of seconds to process that Goro was speaking to him directly.

"No probs," Hisoka said. "Whatever'll make you feel a little better about yourself. Akemi, you should go with him back to the dorms and make sure he's feeling alright."

"Sure thing," Akemi said.

Goro got up from his chair, and Akemi followed him out. It seemed odd watching Goro leave when there was still food on his plate. I wondered what it was that was making him so incredibly sick, but I imagined it was probably little more than a common cold. Still, probably for the best not to be spreading it to everyone else in the dining hall. With Goro leaving, a few others decided to depart as well. Samuru left first, followed by Yona. The rest followed behind. Kumi, Mayu, Kiyoshi, then Kotaro. The numbers slowly dwindled until there was six of us left in the dining hall: Myself, Hoshi, Yamato, Leiko, Ryoma, and Kenji. At that point, we decided to move in a little closer.

"So, Ryoma," Leiko said. "Looks like the crowd's thinned out, we can get a little one-on-one time if you know what I mean."

"Are you insinuating something?" Ryoma said.

"You know, one-on-one, me-on-you," Leiko replied. "Come on, if I have to spell it out, it spoils the fun."

"Hey Lockpicks, save the sex-talk for a moment so I can eat my damn food," Hoshi demanded.

"Yeah, at this rate, we're going to end up spewing food up rather than wolfing it down," Kenji added.

"Relax Hoshi, that's like your third serving, it's not like it matters at this point," Leiko said to Hoshi, then turned her attention to Kenji. "Anyway, are you still wearing that hat?"

"Of course, why?" Kenji replied.

"I thought it was a novelty thing or something," Leiko replied. "Do you actually wear that?"

"I mean, I am a licensed Yacht Captain, and I was abducted as I was leaving the mooring," Kenji replied.

"I thought the only people who wore those things were teenagers in party photos," Leiko said.

"Mine is authentic," Kenji reiterated.

"As authentic as the one I puked into after seven shots of Vodka?" Leiko asked.

"Enough about the hat," Yamato said. "I want to ask each and every single person still here something that's been troubling me."

The six of them stared toward Yamato.

"Do you think anyone here is capable of murder?" Yamato asked.

It was the question nobody wanted to ask, yet here it was, being confronted nonetheless. The truth was, they were scared. Scared of the answer perhaps, scared of one another maybe, but scared for themselves most of all.

"No," I replied in a sombre tone, heavy with the atmosphere of the very room itself.

"I don't think so either," Leiko said. "I mean, I'm sure we'll get close enough to stop anyone from doing any funny business, and I'm all for opportunities to get _close_ to others if you know what I mean."

"That was not the right moment for a joke, Leiko," I said.

"I know, but hell, I've got issues," Leiko said.

"I don't think anyone would murder," Kenji said. "That'd just be stupid. I mean, we'll all escape together at our own pace anyway. We can't just give up our hope and faith in others, can we?"

"Yeah, what point is there to killin' someone anyway?" Hoshi said. "Really, it ain't like Monokuma was going to keep his word."

Ryoma remained silent, and as attention slowly focused on him, he began to recoil a little. Not with malevolent intent, but with genuine fear of the question. It was a difficult question. It required him to trust everyone here, and the result played out like a prisoner's dilemma. If he believed and people betrayed, then he'd be an easy target. If he had suspicions and people betrayed, then he'd be justified and had more survivability. If he had suspicions and no one betrayed, then it was highly probable that everyone would then be suspicious of him. Finally, the ideal scenario was that no one betrayed, and that he trusted everyone.

But in a scenario like this, he wasn't sure whether fortune would favour him any more.

"I'm sorry, I don't really feel comfortable answering that," Ryoma said. "I want to trust everyone, but I also have to trust my instincts."

"Pussyfooting out of it, huh?" Hoshi said.

"I suppose I am," Ryoma said. "I think I ended up in the wrong place with my sensibilities and all. I think we all did. Well, at least there's stew in Hell, huh?"

Everyone chuckled a little. Not really because what he said was funny, or because it was clever, just because we wanted an excuse to smile despite the discussion about murderers only a moment prior. The truth stung. It bit hard, and we were all a little shaken by it. Just smiling for a moment might've helped put a dampener on the truth, but we couldn't escape it - not like we hoped we could. We all began to depart, with Ryoma excusing himself shortly after the remark, and Leiko following some time afterwards. Kenji and I headed back, and I figured that Hoshi and Yamato also went back to their respective dorms sometime after that. I stared up at the ceiling from the top-bunk I had been assigned, directly above Kiyoshi in the ladies' dorm room. I stared up at the austere roofing for a while. I wondered whether there was a specific reason why I was called here, whether the whims of fate had just decided to be needlessly cruel or whether there was some objective that this supposed retreat would present to me to accomplish. Why me? Was I special, or just downright unlucky?

As I pondered, the cool midnight air caressed my face, slowly lulling me into that ether built upon my own fatigue.

* * *

 _MONOKUMA THEATRE_

You know, I love pens. They're the ultimate tool of creation, aren't they?

If you have talent, you can make entire worlds on paper, and bring them to life!

The sad thing about pens though, is they run out of ink. How very sad.

If there's no more ink, they're useless, and you have to toss them out.

Why can't we just refill them? Because the Bic Bigwigs want to make an extra penny?

If it wasn't for their greediness, then we'd be able to create beautiful worlds of fiction forever, don't you think so!


	11. Chapter 1-9: Trust in One Another

I woke up the next morning. Honestly, I hadn't expected to wake up here. I had felt as if this was all a bad dream, a nightmare from which I could escape with a little rest and recuperation. Obviously that had not been the case, as the TV from the room opposite screamed out as I woke.

 _"RISE AND SHINE SLEEPYHEADS, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER FUN-FILLED DAY OF CAMP AHEAD OF US! THE NIGHT IS NOW OVER, AND THE MORNING HAS BEGUN!"_ Monokuma said through the television. Truth be told, I hoped I'd never get used to that alarm. Everyone who wasn't already awake was surely awake now. I rolled to the side, and pulled myself up from the sheets I had grown comfortable lying in. Usually, I probably would have sat there a little longer contemplating some matter of importance, but the day felt pressing, and I needed to embrace it and ready myself for it. I clambered down the fragile ladder, and headed to the lounge where all the other occupants of the dormitory had gathered, most of them in their pyjamas. As I entered the lounge, the television still played the fake-newscast that aired secrets. Apparently it was about me now. I decided not to listen in too closely, for fear of hearing an incriminating story of some kind.

"Alright, we should probably head across for breakfast," Taro said. "Apparently according to what Kenji and I heard, Hisoka's prepped a cooking team consisting of Daigo and Leiko."

"Don't they... seem like a bad combination?" I asked.

"That's what I would've thought as well," Taro said. "However, Hisoka insisted that she had been most reasonable."

"That in itself seems suspicious," Kenji said. "Her? Reasonable?"

"You're just mad because she insulted your hat," I replied.

"And I have fair reason to be," Kenji retorted. "Geez, who insults a man's hat,"

"Relax, just chill out," Chizuko said. He was yawning, and obviously still tired, but hid it well with a cool demeanour and a sense of suave. "I'm sure she didn't mean it personally, just like people don't mean it personally when they insult my lucky hammer. They just don't understand, you know? They don't understand the connection behind it."

"That hammer's broken Chizuko, it's not even useful any more," Mayu said. "And aren't you pretty far from a yacht, Kenji? Why are you still wearing that?"

"I only came here with one outfit," Kenji said.

"Take off the god-damned hat then, you don't need it," Samuru replied.

"Hey, I like it!" Kenji said. "Don't push your lacklustre fashion expectations onto me."

"This is getting way too heated for a discussion over a hat," Jitsuko interjected. "Who cares anyway? Let's have breakfast in peace."

I hadn't even noticed Jitsuko. She was a hard woman to miss, that was for sure, but somehow I'd still gone and done a damn good job of it. She was wearing her lycra already, and looked as if she was more prepared to embrace her situation than any of the others here. The first step toward greatness is getting dressed in the morning, after all. Maybe that was some advice I should've taken on board myself.

"Yeah, I agree," I said. "Let's go."

Kiyoshi nodded, and everyone else agreed. With that, we left for the dining hall. The other two groups were headed over at the same time. We exchanged pleasantries, and entered the dining hall. There, Leiko and Daigo had readied a table with twenty-four places, each with two slices of toast and a small portion of omelette. Toppings such as butter and jam were found in the centre of the table. Leiko and Daigo had certainly gone all-out with the preparations, I wondered how Hisoka had motivated that pair to work together in synergy?

I seated myself up the opposite end of the table this time, closer to Hisoka. I wanted to get a chance to talk to him, and now was a better chance than never. It wasn't as if we had pre-allocated seats anyway. I sat opposite Hisoka on the second seat from the end. On either side of me was Erika and Sora, with Erika sitting on the edge of the table and Sora sitting closer to the centre. On Hisoka's side, he was accompanied by Noriko to one side, and an empty place on the other, with Noriko seated closer to the centre. I presume that empty place was for one of the two kitchen staff: either Daigo or Leiko. I introduced myself to Hisoka, and after a while, we got a little better acquainted.

Surely enough, after some time Daigo sat next to Hisoka. As far as I could see, he looked perfectly healthy and in his regular state of mind. Leiko hadn't pulled anything. Huh?

"Hisoka, how did you do that?" I asked.

"Do what?" He replied.

"Get her to stop being... her?" I answered. "Usually she's all over anybody else who's a dude, so why hasn't Daigo returned looking like a bat-out-of-hell?"

"Because I made a promise with her," Hisoka said.

"What sort of promise?" I said. "Somehow this sounds more sinister than it should be..."

"I offered to be her wingman of course," Hisoka said.

With that, I almost spat out the omelette I had been chewing, and forced it back into my mouth as my body tried to gag it up. I was at a complete loss.

"Her wingman?" I said. "What, so you want to help her in her weird exploits? She's a locksmith, and she's a pervert. She probably developed that talent just so she could spy on you guys in the change rooms, you know?"

"I don't think so actually," Hisoka replied. "Truth be told, I'm rooting for her."

"And next... you'll be rooting her!" Leiko said across the table. Turns out she had still got a seat a couple down from Hisoka, and had managed to listen in on the discussion.

"Heh, that was a good one," Hisoka said. "Up top!"

The two high-fived. This was the most bizarre show I had ever seen, but truth be told, Leiko looked happy. Perhaps this was advantageous to us after all.

"So, why go through this for her?" I asked.

"Because we all need to work together, after all," Hisoka said. "We can't just have some people being shunned to a corner and excluded, we have to work as a team against all of this! Look, I know she seems like an oddball, but we all have our idiosyncrasies: we can't afford to let them divide us at this point."

"You know, Hisoka, you have a real admirable commitment to all of this," I replied.

"I suppose, I just wish I had've committed to something while I wasn't in a death-game," Hisoka said, sighing.

"Well, I find myself in agreement with Hisoka about excluding people," Daigo said. "I think his actions today have proved that he is certainly capable of doing the unthinkable."

"Thank you, Daigo," Hisoka said. "Well, truth be told, I'm only as good as the people who are deciding to work with me. If nobody wanted to cooperate, it'd be useless. I think, deep in their hearts, everybody trusts one another slightly."

"That worries me, you know?" Noriko said. "After all, Monokuma did say there was a traitor in our midst. If that's the case, won't that throw a real spanner in the works with the whole community vibe you've created?"

"You don't have to worry about that," Sora said. "There's no doubt that Monokuma was lying about that, he just wants us to distrust one another, after all."

"I think you're right, Sora," Hisoka said. "And I hope you're right as well, with all of my being."

"Should there be a traitor in our midst, we should have little trouble finding them," Erika said. "They are bound to slip up somewhere. I will protect everyone until that point. I do not intend... to lose anymore."

The rest of breakfast continued for another fifteen minutes, after which I left the kitchen. I had a meaningful conversation with the others in that time, but now I had plenty of time to spare. I first headed back to my room, where I found both Kiyoshi and Mayu. I sat on my bed for a while, but I couldn't just sit around all day after all. I had free time now, I should use it.

* * *

 _FREE TIME_

* * *

I left my dormitory, and headed out. I wandered around the central courtyard for a bit, and stared up into the sky once more. After a while, I noticed Sora staring at what looked to be a ladybug on the concrete near the main building. As I approached, he stared up at me. "Oh, sorry, I just found her inside and I figured I'd try and let her out," he said. "You need something?"

I decided I'd hang out with Sora a little, and help him with the ladybug. It was a little tedious at times, but somewhat fun, and I felt a little like a good samaritan for helping out. While we worked together, Sora asked me something.

"Hey Hitomi," Sora asked. "What's your life like outside of here?"

"My life outside of here?" I replied quizzically. "It's pretty good, I mean, I'm going to one of the most prestigious schools in the country."

"Fair enough," Sora said. "How were you going with school, before all this?"

"I was going alright, nothing remarkable though," I replied. "Really though, there was always too much pressure at Tsubaki to be the next child prodigy. The school was a little unreasonable, hey?"

"Yeah, I can agree with you on that," Sora said. "Tsubaki sure was unreasonable, but it doesn't compare to this twisted place."

"Hey, what was Tsubaki like for you?" I asked.

"Well, I was never exactly a stellar student, but my music teachers always thought I was pretty great," Sora said. "My ability was nothing to rival the Ultimate Conductor herself, but then again, no one was going to say that to me anyway."

"The Ultimate Conductor?" I asked. "I've heard that title around, but never really heard much about her. Did you meet her?"

"A couple of times," Sora replied. "I never really took a liking to her. She was rude to everyone, and seemed to look down on the entire music department."

"Why would they put up with her then?" I asked. "I thought the purpose of the Ultimate Initiative was to scout talented students who would inspire and aid the student cohort?"

"I think they saw something in her, perhaps," Sora said. "Honestly, I think she would've warmed up eventually. It's just... I wish I had what she had."

"What? A superiority complex and a small baton?" I replied.

"No, uh... how do I phrase this... Ugh! I'm lost for words!" He exclaimed.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "You've got one thing she'll never have. Actual friends."

"I... suppose you've got a point," Sora said. "Thanks, Hitomi. You're a nice girl."

"Thank you as well, Sora!" I replied. "If we all get out of here, we'll show her."

"I think you mean when," Sora replied, smiling a little.

"Yeah, when..." I replied, smirking back at him. I feel like my bond with Sora grew deeper today. After I finished, I headed back to my room. It looked like I still had some time left in the day, I might as well use it.

* * *

 _FREE TIME_

* * *

I exited my room, and headed out over to the lake. There were a few people over there, including Leiko and Yamato, but I noticed Yona in particular. She was staring down at that empty family tree, with only her name written on it. After a while, she noticed me and stared back. "Oh, it's just you," she said. "What do you want?"

I decided I'd hang out with Yona, and together we tried to work out the mystery of the empty family tree. The truth was, we made absolutely no headway with our theories, but throwing ourselves at the challenge helped us to see eye to eye a little.

"So Yona," I asked. "Why are you trying to keep your distance from me?"

"Do I have to ask a question like that?" Yona replied.

"Well, I wouldn't mind an answer," I said. "But you don't have to."

"Well then I won't," Yona said. She seemed relatively adamant about it. "Don't take it personally though, it's not you."

"Well, do you mind if I ask what it is then?" I said.

"I'd rather not," Yona said. "Truth be told, I don't trust others. Let's just leave it at that."

"So, why not?" I said. "Surely there's a reason for it?"

"I just don't like to put my faith in people," Yona said. "It's proven a wise choice in the past."

"In the past?" I asked. "What happened?"

"I suppose it's another story for another time, but I suppose it's the story of how I ended up here in the first place," Yona said. "It's not a pretty story either."

"So, how could something that happened to give you a place at Tsubaki manage to be bad?" I asked.

"Look, stop concerning yourself with it, alright?" Yona stated. "I'm trying to avoid all that now. Just leave it be."

"Alright," I replied. "Provided you leave it behind, and try and work together with all of us,"

"Work together?" Yona asked. "Would you just forget your past so everyone could work as a team?"

"I think anyone in this situation would try," I replied. "Truth is, the past can be painful. Looking back on it can help us avoid mistakes, but dwelling on it too much is a mistake in itself. Just relax a little."

"I'll try," Yona replied. I feel like my bond with Yona grew deeper today. I wandered back to my room after that.

* * *

Evening struck. I decided to head down to the kitchen for dinner, which Yamato and Jitsuko volunteered to prepare according to Samuru, who was hanging around the dormitory. Samuru was watching the television, apparently too engrossed in everyone's gossip and secrets to notice the time. Most of the others had already left by this point.

"Come on, Samuru," I said. "We have to go!"

"Shh, I'm watching this," he replied. I tuned in myself to see what it was about.

 _"Hisoka Arai, the next in line of the artistic and scholarly talents of the Arai family! Just another of the twenty-four Tsubaki students who had disappeared from the academy seemingly without a trace. Interestingly enough, did you know that in the days leading up to his disappearance, Hisoka Arai had already been planning an escape? Using his accrued funds from his savings, Hisoka put down a deposit on an apartment near the red-light district, and intended to live out the remainder of his life away from Tsubaki! Oh, and how about this cutie as well - you know, Kumi Himura! Another one of the tragic victims of the disappearances, who had also been planning on doing a runner. For whatever reason though, mysteriously, Kumi disappeared before she could even grab her things. There was a bag, packed and ready for her to run away from the world, and on the night she was supposed to grab it she never returned home. Spooooky, huh? Tune in for more Mono-News right after this quick commercial break!_

 _Have you ever felt like there isn't enough brutal murder in your life? Well, now you can catch the entirety of Miracle Danganronpa 9: Despair's Counterattack on Blu-Ray and DVD, featuring yours truly!"_

At this point, I'd had enough. I tuned out of the Monokuma Broadcast. "Samuru, we have to leave," I said. "Everyone's waiting on us."

He begrudgingly agreed, standing from his position and heading to dinner. I thought about what I had seen on the television though. Kumi and Hisoka had tried to run away in the days leading up to our capture? From what? Was there something the pair of them had been trying to escape, or were their home lives simply the cause? Why? I couldn't understand it, but in honesty there probably was a reason for them running away. Still, if those were the sorts of things revealed on the second day...

...It made you wonder what would be revealed on the seventh.

I entered the dining hall, and took a seat. Together, we feasted on Omurice. As it turned out, neither Jitsuko nor Yamato were particularly good at cooking, but the result was alright enough to be considered edible. I didn't comment, nor did anyone else, but we were all in silent agreement. Yamato emerged from the kitchen after a while: it was then we noticed.

"What's with the hat?" I asked.

"I like wearing it, and I just got it from the inventory room," he replied. The moss green fisherman's bucket hat he wore did not suit the rest of his outfit, and looked incredibly out of place. With Goro, Kenji, and now Yamato, the room was beginning to look like a hat appreciation club. It was seven o'clock at night, why did he need a bucket hat anyway?

"It appears rather out-of-place, I must admit," Daigo said. "Although I suppose it is unacceptable to deride a man's choice in headwear."

"I think it looks alright..." Hoshi said.

"See?" Yamato interjected. "Hoshi liked it."

"...for a retiree," Hoshi concluded. "Not for a teenager." She laughed a little. It was kind of cruel, but still hilarious.

"Ugh, who cares," Yamato replied. "I'm allowed to wear whatever hat I like, aren't I? Goro hasn't got any comments about his hat, and look at it! The brim sticks out across his shoulders!"

"Don't worry about them," Kenji said. "Us hat-wearers have to stick together."

Yamato took a seat, and began to dig into the Omurice. He was visibly disappointed by it as well. Maybe he knew that his cooking skills were that bad, and hoped a situation like this might help him out a little, but the truth cut deep. For the rest of the evening, we ate dinner in relative silence. After that, I returned to my room, and headed to sleep. I suppose I was still troubled by this whole evening, and this whole place in general. Maybe I should've ask Hisoka about what I saw on the television? I don't know, maybe I'll get a chance tomorrow. I'll do it in the morning. I felt a tap on my arm, and turned to face the direction of the person who had tapped it. It was Kiyoshi. It was too dark to see the note paper she was holding up, but I could guess what it said from the few words I could see.

"You can't get to sleep?" I asked.

Kiyoshi nodded in response, and erased the notepaper.

"Well, I suppose the best way I found to get to sleep is a nice warm cup of cocoa before bed. It helps to calm the nerves a little," I said. "Think of it as my own personal remedy."

I got up from the bed, and headed into the kitchenette with Kiyoshi. I made her a glass of hot chocolate with the powder in the drawer, and that was when I noticed it.

"This... is a new tub of chocolate?" I said. "Where'd the old one go?"

Kiyoshi wrote something down on the notepad. "We finished it on the first day, it was really good!" the notepad read.

"That is fair, but if we finished it, who put this new one here - and when did they put it here?" I asked. "Was someone here while we were asleep, or was there some way for them to deliver supplies without our knowledge?"

Kiyoshi thought about it for a while, but didn't respond.

"Well, we'll check it out in the morning, but for now we've got to get some hot chocolate," I said. I heated up a glass of water, stirred the chocolate in, and added a dash of milk. I then gave it to Kiyoshi. She nodded thankfully, and smiled, then sat on the couch for a bit. The Mono-News was still playing, but she wasn't paying any attention to it. She just drank the cocoa while staring out the window, smiled, then returned to bed. I could've swore I heard her say something as she headed to bed.

"Thank you, Hitomi!" I thought I heard her say.

I hadn't at the time thought she had said anything at all. In reality, hearing her voice was something I thought was simply impossible. I headed to bed, climbed up the ladder, and tucked myself back in. "Goodnight," I said to no one in particular, and went to sleep.

* * *

 _MONOKUMA_ _THEATRE_

I've got angels on my side, you know? Ones who care about me and all that?

Really, isn't the person with angels always the good guy? I mean, there's no way you can fault angels.

There's no way God can be the Villain, and if I have his angels on my side, then I must be good. That's all there is to it.

That's why I have angels: because they believe in me, and they are pious angels through and through.

I don't believe in God, but my angels believe I am God, and I believe I'm an angel.

There's no way you can fight a good samaritan, is there?

They haven't done anything wrong, they never do.


	12. Chapter 1-10: Budding Complacency

_"RISE AND SHINE SLEEPYHEADS, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER FUN-FILLED DAY OF CAMP AHEAD OF US! THE NIGHT IS NOW OVER, AND THE MORNING HAS BEGUN!"_ Monokuma screamed through the television. It was a wake up call I would never get used to. I rolled out of bed, and clambered down the ladder. Chizuko, Samuru, Jitsuko and Mayu were already awake, but the other three were still asleep. I decided now was a better time than never to discuss it.

"Good morning," I said. "Just out of interest, I'd like to ask everyone here a question."

"What sort of question?" Samuru replied.

"It's about the chocolate powder," I stated. "It was replaced recently after we used the old one up. I was wondering if anyone knew anything about that?"

"Replaced?" Jitsuko asked. "As a matter of fact, I think that Kenji did that. He got some from the store room while he was investigating there."

The truth was, I was hoping that wasn't the case. However, it gave me an idea for what I wanted to do next.

"Alright, I want to run a little experiment," I said. "No one is allowed into the Storage Room from 10pm to 7am, right?"

"Yeah," Chizuko said. "So what are you trying to hint at?"

"I want to find out what goes on in there from 10pm to 7am," I said.

"What do you mean by that?" Jitsuko said. "No one is in there between those times, correct?"

"No students, I believe," Mayu replied. "I think Hitomi's hinting that the storeroom can be entered by the other people behind this, who aren't participating. Somebody did say that whoever organised this is likely working with a group, after all."

"You think someone refills that storeroom at night, when we can't enter?" Samuru said. "I doubt it, the twisted bastard behind this probably doesn't mind if we starve to death in here anyway."

"Well, I think it's advisable to take a look," Chizuko said. "We've got to give it a shot after all."

Mayu nodded in confirmation of Chizuko's remarks. "I agree," she said. "There is no way to know if we don't try."

"I believe there is no harm in investigating, but do we have any tool that could record the interior of the storeroom while we can't access it. As far as I can tell, we don't really have any technology on our persons. Where would we obtain a camera?" Jitsuko asked.

"Kumi has one," I replied.

"Yeah," Chizuko said. "She was toting it around, I saw her. Can we ask her to cooperate?"

"I'll ask her to help us out," I replied. "I'll talk to her after breakfast, and see what I can negotiate."

Taro emerged from his slumber, with Kiyoshi and Kenji following along behind only moments later. I was happy to see that at least someone was a slower-riser than myself, but then again that reflected worse on them rather than reflecting better on me.

"What took you guys so long?" Chizuko said to the three people entering.

"Says you," Samuru replied. "You didn't wake all that early yourself."

"Hey, you woke up at bloody five in the morning!" Chizuko said. "That's no fair!"

"Well, how about you just admit you like to sleep in," Samuru said. "You feeling lazy, punk?"

"That's - like, still in the middle of the night you know," Chizuko said. "How am I being lazy here?"

"Sheesh, well I can't understand why Monokuma would set the morning wake-up so early," Taro said.

"We're students, most of us wake up at 7 anyway," Jitsuko said. "With that in mind, it would probably be best if Monokuma stuck to a schedule that we could easily adapt to, would it not?"

"Well, I suppose I'm the one at a disadvantage then, aren't I?" Taro said. "Probably should've learned to wake up a little earlier, huh?

"Maybe," I replied. "Anyway, you guys want to head to breakfast now?" I asked.

"Alright," Chizuko said. "I hope it's better than the Omurice."

"Agreed," Mayu said. "I don't think I have the gall for something so tasteless this early in the morning."

The eight of us all headed down to the kitchen. In honesty, I was surprised only one person from purple team had been volunteered for kitchen duty at this point, though I suppose that our turn would come around. We'd only been here a day and a half after all, and it was looking like escape might take a bit of planning. Luckily though, everyone seemed to be getting along just fine. We arrived in the dining hall, and sat in random places. This time, I sat closer to the middle. It seems that I was seated with Seita and Mayu on either side of me, and Akemi directly opposite me. Seated next to her were Hoshi and Sora. It seems the on-duty cooks today were Iyona and Samuru. Samuru never showed, and Iyona couldn't be bothered doing any work.

The result was corn-flakes: the lack of any milk was all part of the DIY experience, according to the self-proclaimed Chef of the Kitchen Yona. Seems like she really just wanted to get out of responsibility, but I had to hand it to her - she did have a way of good way of describing it that made it not seem like utter garbage.

"Well, I'm all for corn-flakes," Seita said. "You know, eating them raw really brings out that satisfactory crunch." He gobbled them down at light-speed: he was the only person even remotely enthusiastic about what he was eating.

"Really?" Samuru said as he stared at the bowl of corn-flakes. "You sure the reason you eat them raw isn't because we're too broke to afford milk half the time?"

"Why're you complaining," Hoshi said. "I mean come on bud, if you wanted better food, you should've done your job. No wonder all we got was corn-flakes if you couldn't be bothered turning up."

"Didn't you wake up at five this morning?" I asked. "If you had breakfast duty, why didn't you just go?"

"I... I'd rather not say," Samuru said. "Really, it's not all that important."

"You get hooked on that secrets shit program?" Hoshi said. "Noriko's been sitting in front of that like a psychopath since we got here. I mean don't get me wrong, I love me some juicy goss, but don't pull an all-nighter just watching that crap. It's a waste of time!"

"Have you been really watching that, nii-san?" Seita asked. "We shouldn't, that's what Monokuma wants."

"I know, I know, there was just something I needed to see," Samuru said. "Don't worry, I'm not going to let him get in my head, Seita. You know that."

"Yeah," Seita said. "I believe in you."

"So, what is there on that show of interest anyway?" Akemi asked.

"It's just tidbits of information really," Samuru said. "I think Monokuma's just revealing little snippets about our past, so he can hit us where it hurts on the seventh day. Most of the stuff's trivial. Still, information certainly is an all-important weapon."

"Weapon?" I asked. "You sound like you're about to wage war on us or something."

"Who knows? Maybe I might," Samuru said. "Don't put anything past the Great Samuru Mori now, would you?" Samuru's words were said jokingly, but truth be told there was a certain element of sinister cynicism that seemed to give a razor-edge to those words.

"Nii-san, don't speak about yourself in the third person," Seita said. "You sound like you're being high and mighty again."

"Come on guys!" Hoshi said. "No need to be so tense, let's just eat our corn-flakes and talk it out!"

"Yeah, I agree with Hoshi," I said. "Samuru, we won't judge your questionable television habits, and you can continue to work together with us. Deal?"

"Just until we're out of here," Samuru replied. He gave a friendly smile, but it seemed to be one that served more of a formal purpose than a friendly one: like a signature on a contract. Samuru didn't seem to be the sort of person to perform an action without a premeditated thought-process behind it, so I almost felt as if his smile was a binding agreement.

"You know, Samuru, we really could use the help of a guy like you," Sora said. "I've seen some of the speeches you've written, they're amazing!"

"Really?" Samuru said, surprised. "You've heard my speeches? I thought they didn't get as much air-time to be honest."

"Hey, at the end of the day, you get thrust into the limelight eventually," Sora said. "Really though, once we work together to get out of here, I'm sure your speeches will go down well!"

"By the way Samuru," Mayu said. "Since you're the Ultimate Orator, do you mind asking Kumi for that camera?"

"I thought I was going to do it?" I asked Mayu.

"Not that I don't trust you with the responsibility, but Samuru's a born speaker, and isn't Kumi naturally more reserved around girls?" Mayu replied.

"You've got a point there," I said.

"What's this about a camera?" Hoshi said. "Hey, you guys aren't planning anything weird, are you?"

"N-no, nothing of the sort!" I exclaimed.

"Well, alright then!" Hoshi replied. "I don't give a shit what it is, but I'm in! Sounds like a blast!"

"Did she just invite herself to our secret reconnaissance mission?" Mayu asked me in a whisper.

"Sounds like it," I whispered in reply. "Say what you will about her, she sure is forceful."

So with that, Hoshi was rather forcibly made a member of our rebellious reconnaissance mission, and the rest of us ate breakfast with relatively little interruption. The idle banter and chummy atmosphere was almost enough to wash away the lacklustre taste of stale corn-flakes for breakfast, and despite being one of the worst breakfasts to date, it was perhaps one of the nicest meals we ended up having - if only for the friendly conversation. Really, things seemed to be going well for us all.

Little did we know how close the first of many tragedies truly was to us.

After breakfast, we approached Kumi about the camera, and she happily volunteered it provided that she could watch our little recon mission. We had seven people now - Chizuko Adachi, Samuru Mori, Mayu Amari, Jitsuko Saito, Kumi Himura, Hoshi Nakashima, and me: Hitomi Itou. We were turning out to be quite the merry band of adventurers, so I would be quite disappointed now to find out it was all for nothing. After that, I returned to my room. It looked like I had some spare time before my plan was set in motion - I might as well relax for a bit, huh?

* * *

 _FREE TIME_

* * *

I headed out of my room. As I wandered across the lawn, I decided to take a look at some of the other dormitories. I headed over to Orange Dormitory, where Hisoka and Akemi were gathered. Akemi seemed to be jotting out ideas on a sheet of paper, while Hisoka sat around drinking black tea. I approached Hisoka, who seemed to almost be a figure of serenity.

"Oh, hey Hitomi," Hisoka said. "I figured I would take a moment for some respite. If you want, would you like to join me?"

I decided to hang out with Hisoka, and together we drank tea for a little bit and talked about the world outside of here. We didn't end up doing much that was important, but it felt soothing - and I knew Hisoka felt the same way.

"By the way Hisoka," I asked. "What was your life like outside of all this?"

"My life?" He replied. "I suppose you could say it was pretty typical of a kid like myself. Study hard, play hard, that sort of thing. There was nothing really remarkable about it, except for my family really."

"Your family?" I asked.

"Yeah, my family," he continued. "They were art scholars, as far back as you can cast your eye. In the later generations though, they also worked in appraisal. It's said the Arai family name connotes prestige and an eye for detail. Let's just say those are a few things I wish I inherited."

"I think you're doing pretty alright as you are," I replied. "I mean, you're leading everyone and acting as a model example. Isn't that what it's about in the end?"

"Heh, yeah," Hisoka chuffed. "I suppose it is after all."

"Don't you want to be who you want to be?" I asked him.

He sighed for a moment. "Well, I did," he said. "I'm beginning to doubt that myself nowadays."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Don't we all have aspirations like that?"

"Yeah, but I think you can probably tell from what I'm wearing that I've got some real iffy dreams," Hisoka said. "I was a manga fan as a kid. Because of that, I always wanted to be a Male Host. The job looked so enticing, but reality is harsher than manga."

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, maybe it's a story for another time," Hisoka said. "Point is, it wasn't all it was chirped up to be. I feel like a fool for the whole thing, so I'd rather not talk about it, but I realised something: the reason parents have expectations for their children is not to try and imprison them in an inescapable destiny that they wanted to pursue, it's to make sure their kids aren't imprisoned in a destiny they don't want to pursue."

"That really sucks," I replied.

"It could've been worse really," Hisoka said.

"Still though, you can't be dejected just on your first try," I responded. "Shouldn't you try harder to work toward that dream you want, hail or shine, and try to find that glimmer of hope?"

"Maybe," Hisoka said. "But I think hope's something you can find down any path in life if you learn to guide yourself. I think that's what maturity boils down to in the end."

"I suppose," I replied. "I just wish I knew what my own path was."

"At the end, it's whatever you damn well want it to be," Hisoka said. "We make our own paths in life, we don't have them dictated to us."

"Thanks Hisoka," I said.

"Not a problem," he replied. "You've been more help to me after all, may as well repay the favour with what little wisdom I can find in this bleach-blonde skull of mine."

Hisoka gave me a friendly smile. After I finished my tea, the two of us went our separate ways. I feel like I discovered a little more about Hisoka today, and I think we grew a little closer. With that, I headed back to my room. It looked like I still had some time left before dinner, I may as well make some use of it.

* * *

 _FREE TIME_

* * *

I decided to leave my dormitory, and walked toward the man building again. As I got there, I saw Hoshi preparing to train near the entrance to the main building. She spotted me, and called me over.

"Yo Hitomi, I need a training partner. Wanna come train with me for a bit?" She asked.

I obliged, and together we trained for a little. By the time Hoshi had barely cracked a sweat, I was on my knees grovelling: she may not have been an Ultimate, but she had the stamina to rival gods. After sitting down for a while and chilling as I tried to recoup some energy, Hoshi spoke.

"You know, the secret to sport is to just keep pushing," Hoshi said. "If you're at your limit, then go further, that sort of thing."

"That seems like... terrible advice," I replied.

"Well, it's worked for me," Hoshi said. "You doubting my advice?"

"Uh, of course not!" I replied. She had a genuine glint of rage within her eye, and so I decided to try and take back what I said out of fear of losing a limb. "It's great advice, it's just... um, well."

"You know, I'm trying to help ya' out here," Hoshi said. "I used to be the same way, you know?"

"Skeptical?" I asked.

"Weak as piss," she replied.

"That hurts my ego a little," I muttered to myself.

"Don't worry about it," Hoshi said. "Provided you wanna work toward something, you'll get stronger just by trying. Whether it's in sport or smarts, you've got to keep tacklin' a problem head on."

"Is that the motto you live by?" I asked.

"Yeah, no shit," Hoshi said. "Since I was little, I always wanted to be the fastest kid in school, and I worked toward that goal every day. I was no sprinter, but I was sure as hell good at running by the end. It didn't matter how tired I got or how sore I was, I just kept on training. That's what you've gotta do, isn't it?"

"I suppose," I replied. "Why did you want to be the fastest kid anyway?"

As I asked the question, she got a little clammy. Perhaps there was a personal reason for it, but something about her strength before now and her reaction to my question seemed to show a certain weakness about her. I'm not sure what it was. Truth be told, her sudden change in mood startled me.

"That don't matter," she said. "Point is, you gotta train."

She spoke in short and sharp sentences; it threw me a little. Truth be told, I wasn't expecting the question to have such a great effect on her than I thought. She sighed, looked at her lap, then back toward me.

"Sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to cut you off or anything, it's just that's a little personal to me."

"It's fine," I replied. "No hard feelings, I didn't mean anything bad by it."

"Yeah," Hoshi said. "I tell you what, I'll tell you about it next time we train. Think of it as motivation to keep going, you know?"

"Alright," I replied. "Next time then."

I then spent a little more time training with Hoshi, before retiring to my room with legs that I could barely stand on. I headed back to my room, put on a clean change of clothes, and readied myself for dinner.


	13. Chapter 1-11: Death over Dinner

I wandered toward the main hall after getting changed. Everyone else had already arrived and taken their seats by the time I got there, and so the only chair left for me was the one at the far end of the table. Erika sat opposite me, with Daigo and Goro sitting either side of her. Meanwhile, on either side of me was Mayu and Kiyoshi.

"Sorry I'm late guys," I said to no one in particular as I took my seat. Placed where I was seated was a bowl of creamy mushroom soup, which though it had grown cold seemed to still be incredibly appetising. I started gobbling into it.

"What took you so long?" Goro asked. "Usually you're one of the first people here?"

"I got held up a little bit hanging out," I replied. "Sort of lost track of time."

"Oh by the way, since Kumi has given us permission to use the camera, is it alright if I get everyone to rendezvous at the storeroom after dinner?" Mayu asked.

"Yeah, that sounds like a plan," I replied.

"Also, it seems Hisoka wants to come along as well," Mayu said.

"I wonder what ploy you guys are scheming?" Daigo asked. "Have you found something?"

"Oh, don't mind us," I said. "I'll let you know if it turns out to be important."

"Important? Oh, I thought you were planning some sort of prank," Daigo replied.

Kiyoshi wrote something on a notepad, and showed it to me. "Can I help?" It said.

"Yeah, sure," I said back to her. "You can help out as well if you want."

"Just out of interest, what is it that you are planning?" Erika said.

"We're going to keep an eye on the storeroom," I said. "I have a feeling that Monokuma might resupply it at some point, and I want to find where he might access it from."

"With what?" Erika asked.

"A camcorder," I replied. "It should have enough memory to record a whole night's worth of footage, if not more."

"Are you sure it will work?" Erika said. "If it doesn't, Kumi's camcorder is battery powered, is it not? You may be wasting a chance to surveil something else later on down the track."

"Mayu, did Kumi say whether she had a charger for that camera?" I asked.

"I think she said that she did, although I'm not sure where she might plug it in," Mayu said.

"Doesn't that seem like a bit of an oversight?" Goro said.

"Uhh... maybe?" I said. "Look, point is that we can't just sit around here doing nothing. We have to try!"

"Yeah, just... don't do anything too rash," Goro said.

"It's not too rash," I said.

"Really?" Goro said. "You're betting our only piece of tech in this place on what appears to be a childishly simplistic plan which our captors could probably see through if they had their eyes shut. You sure this is the right idea?"

"Have you got a better one?" I asked.

"Yeah, I do," Goro said. "Sit back, and just wait a little until we have a plan that we can all damn get behind."

"Alright," I replied despondently.

"You just going to take that?" A voice said from two seats across. It was Hoshi, and she leaned across the table to intervene in our conversation. "This is the best damn shot we're going to get, Goro. We can't just be fucking reactive, otherwise who knows what might happen to us."

"The best damn shot?" Goro said. "This is like betting your house on a zero in a roulette wheel! There's no way this is the best shot we're going to get!"

"Well, Mr. Man with a Plan, you got a better idea?" Hoshi asked rhetorically. "How can you criticise us when you don't have a plan yourself!?"

"Because you're jumping the gun," Goro said.

"Oh yeah? Well you're always one step ahead if you jump the gun, aren't you?" Hoshi replied.

"You'd also be disqualified," Goro retorted.

"Since when'd you get the right to boss us around anyway?" Hoshi said. "You think you're the boss of us? Even Hisoka's on our side with this!"

"Hoshi, stop getting so fired up," I said. "Goro has a point. We can afford to wait a bit and see what comes up, can't we?"

We could afford to wait a bit: that was wishful thinking, and we were all about to find that out. Truth be told, I had no idea of what was about to unfold before my very eyes.

"I'm going to the bathroom," I added after a lengthy pause. "I'll be back in a moment."

I headed out of the dining hall, and went to the female toilets. I didn't actually need to go, but I felt a bit queasy, and I wanted to get some air. It had grown pretty hot in the dining hall at the time, and so I thought I'd cool off and splash my face in the water a little. I'm not sure the sole reason I was in here was because I was hot, but maybe more because I was bothered. Truth was, Goro's words had cut deep. My only attempt at escape had earnt me such a scathing response from Goro. It was by no means natural. Maybe Goro was scared for me, and didn't want me to fail, but even still it had cut deep.

"You okay in there?" A voice said through the door. I recognised it, it was Hoshi.

"Yeah, of... of course," I replied. "Just washing up, that's all."

"You worried about what he said?" Hoshi asked.

"What if he's right?" I answered. "What if this really is some reckless plan, made simply from my own desire to escape, that could get us all killed? I mean, it's not like I'm an Ultimate Student or anything. I'm not smart, I'm not special, I'm nothing. Maybe that decision's better left to the Scholarship Kids."

"Hitomi, get your ass out of that toilet," Hoshi replied.

"What?" I said in response. "Why?"

"Just get out here," Hoshi said.

I finished washing my hands, turned off the tap, and stepped outside. Hoshi was standing by the doorframe, and sure was an imposing figure as she leaned against the doorway that she could only just fit through when standing upright. As I left the bathroom, she grabbed me by the shoulders, and made me face her. She stared into my eyes for a bit, then slapped me in the face. It was nothing particularly strong, and she probably meant it to shock me more than she did to hurt me, but even still it confused me.

"What was that for?" I asked.

"Get your head in the game," Hoshi said. "You've got a good plan, don't just get beaten down because you don't believe in yourself. You've got to stand up for your beliefs, don't you? How's everyone else going to believe you if you don't believe yourself?"

"I... I don't know," I replied.

"Well you better start believing awful soon," Hoshi said. "I know basketball isn't your thing, but I've seen people come back from twenty-points down more times than I can count. What stops it happening more often isn't that it's impossible, it's that most teams throw in the towel when they're beat by that much. You hear what I'm saying? Don't you throw in the towel on me, girl."

"What am I supposed to do to convince him?" I said.

"Yell, kick, fight, whatever you damn well have to!" Hoshi said. "I know I ain't the most level-headed person on the block, but sometimes you've got to show you're ready to take the front-foot."

"Is this all... worth it?" I asked. "What would we even find anyway? He's right, this is reckless."

"We're putting a damn camera in the storeroom, and you're acting like we'll lose a limb if we fuck up," Hoshi said. "Relax. If it goes pear-shaped, we just go back to the drawing board. We can't just pretend like there's a better option down the road when we're surrounded by landmines with a gun to our head, can we?"

"I think... you're right," I replied. "We've got to do this. We don't know if we'll get a better chance."

"That's the spirit!" Hoshi said. "Now, tell him like you mean it. Let's go."

Hoshi headed back inside, and I followed her. With her words of encouragement, I think I was ready to talk to Goro about what I believed was our best course of action. My soup was most certainly growing cold by this point, and so when I returned to my seat I shovelled as much as I could in while it was still hot.

"We've got to go ahead with this plan," I said to Goro. "We're in a life-or-death situation here, we can't just wait until something happens to take action. I mean, if Monokuma really means what he says, then one of us is going to die in the next four or five days. Can we really let that bear get away with something like that, while we do nothing except sit around? We've got to try, and sure we might fail, but at least we'll have no regrets. If we fail with the camera, we can always make a new plan: but if we don't even try, we would've done nothing to prevent someone from dying. Isn't that right?"

Goro was speechless. It was a very different response from the one I gave him before I left the table, and I seemed to exude an aura of newfound self-confidence that wasn't there before. I felt triumphant; as if I'd defeated something within myself.

"You've got a point," Goro said, sighing. "Even I can't deny that we're in too much of a predicament to act with hesitation, and I just wished we had a better plan, but I suppose we don't do we? Take care, and be cautious."

I nodded. As far as I was concerned, that was the best I was going to get out of him, but it was still a good answer. I ate the soup. It was surprisingly delightful, despite being lukewarm, and seemed to soothe me as it slid down my throat into my stomach. It was lukewarm, yet somehow it still held that warmth of love that is inherent to all soups. Truth was, the soup was just tinned soup with some mushrooms added in, but Hoshi wasn't going to ruin that for me. She'd been on kitchen duty that night along with Mayu, and since there was very little that they could cook, they decided to follow the serving suggestion on the back of a can of tinned soup. There are some things which simply shouldn't be spoiled by truth. Like that soup, which would be destroyed if the truth behind it was mentioned, there were some times that dishonesty was a better comfort.

It was at that moment that Hisoka began to clutch his throat, and fell backwards on his chair. Yamato leaped out of his chair, and grabbed Hisoka.

"Hisoka, are you alright?" He said in a calm yet concerned voice. "What happened?"

Hisoka was unable to respond, seemingly choking on his own throat. Yamato put Hisoka into the recovery position, and attempted to forcefully strike the back several times in order to get him to regurgitate whatever might've been lodged in his throat. However, in the heat of the moment Yamato failed to realise something much more sinister - there couldn't have been anything lodged in his throat, as tonight's meal was soup.

Hisoka attempted to pull something out of his chino pockets, and Yamato grabbed it. It was one of the Epipens in his Inventory Locker. He stabbed it hard down into his upper right thigh, and stepped back from Hisoka, thinking the problem was solved. However, it was far from over. Hisoka continued to rasp for air, unable to breathe, and slowly all of us began to crowd around him. Yamato tried all that he could, but nothing seemed to work. His eyes and face were incredibly swollen, and he began puking. However, it did little to stop whatever foul chemical was causing him to undergo such a grotesque and volatile reaction: and the worst part was, we were forced to watch. We were forced to watch every second of him attempting to cling to life. Slowly, his face began to go blue. He was losing oxygen, and after a while - he also lost consciousness. Yamato was unable to perform CPR due to the possibility of him further spewing, and so we were forced to stand clear of the body. Then those words - the ones that confirmed that Monokuma was right in all he had said - rang out throughout the hall through a set of announcement speakers.

"A body has been discovered!" Monokuma yelled. "Now, after a certain amount of time has passed, the Class Trial will begin. Make sure you're fully prepared!"

Those words rang out through the hall. We stood there, dumbfounded, and looked around at each other. That's when we realised it. I grabbed the nearest handbook I could find, and read through it. "Rule 11: The body discovery announcement will play immediately after three people discover a dead body. This may include the blackened, but only after they have left the body and returned." I said to myself. "This... isn't just an accidental death, is it?"

As if to confirm that, Monokuma wandered into the dining hall. The elusive bear, which we had seen very little of in our stay at the camp, had finally shown up just as a body fell on the floor before us. He had said one of us would kill another. Was this it?

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" Monokuma yelled. "Now the fun stuff has really begun, hasn't it?"

"Fun stuff?" Yamato asked. "A man is dead on the floor! How is this fun to you?"

"How's it not!" Monokuma said. "Really, you've got it all in a murder case - depravity, deception, despair, and most importantly: suspicion. Oh, I'm simply overwhelmed with such passionate emotion! Like a deer in the headlights of love, I'm a sucker for a good murder mystery, you know?"

"Murder!?" Sora exclaimed. "You're saying..."

"That's right, murder!" Monokuma said. "It seems that for somebody, escape was too much of an enticing reward. And that person... is in this room. One of the people here killed Hisoka Arai. The blackened... is among you!"

"B-b-b-b-b-b-blackened!" Kumi screamed. "No no no no no, no this can't be happening I can't be here I don't want to be here I hate this why am I..."

"Liven up, sweetcheeks!" Monokuma said. "There's two exits from the luscious greenery of this camp - the minefield or the trial grounds. One of you... simply took the easy way out of here. That's all there is to it."

Leiko charged at Monokuma in a maniacal rage, and Yamato held her back with all of his strength.

"Let me at him!" She screamed. "Let's see how good he is at talking with a screwdriver in his throat!"

"Didn't I tell you?" Monokuma said. "Violence against the headmaster is not permitted. Now tell me, would you like to be as "holey" as the baby Jesus, because Mr. Exisal can make it happen!"

At that moment, the Exisal approached, and stood by the window of the dining hall. Unable to enter the dining hall, it was forced to remain outside due to its size, but that didn't seem to stop it from intervening here. It aimed its gun at Leiko, and the barrel began to spin up. Both Yamato and Leiko noticed it, and everyone else did shortly after.

"Now, I suggest you take a few steps back, you know?" Monokuma said. "No need to turn to ash just yet, is there? After all, I only came here to drop something off to help you guys out a little, you know?"

"What could you possibly have that would help us out?" Goro said.

"Whatever it is, we don't want it!" Sora added.

"Geez, and I didn't even get to tell you what it was," Monokuma said. "Now I'm feeling bummed."

"What is it?" Yona asked.

"Finally, somebody that cares about me!" Monokuma said. "You know, a mascot like me needs love too. Anyway, since you guys have to find the killer and all, allow me to help out. It's what you've all been waiting for: the Monokuma File!"

The Exisal dropped a series of 24 paper sheets, which Monokuma then proceeded to give to each student in the dining hall.

"Since none of you are able to conduct a proper autopsy and whatnot, I took the liberty of putting all that stuff in here. Think of this as a grab-basket of all the good bits of the case," Monokuma said. "Anyway, you better get to investigating. I want to get this trial done tonight, after all."

"Tonight?" Mayu asked. "I believe that is an ill-advised move. Most murder investigations take a month, if not more to solve."

"Yeah, that's ridiculous!" Hiro said.

"That's the rules, and what I say goes!" Monokuma said. "Sheesh, you guys are no fun if you're just going to sit in here wallowing in your own misery - so let me say this again: The killer blackened by Hisoka's murder is in this room. Find the culprit, and maybe you guys might be able to go to sleep tonight."

With that, Monokuma left - and with his departure a foreboding air settled around the room. This wasn't accidental, this was _murder_ : and someone here had done it.

* * *

 **PART 1: A Cynic's Natural Inclination, Deadly Life**

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: With this, I'll be returning to my friday weekly schedule, as I can't double upload due to a lack of pre-written chapters atm. The next chapter will be on Friday, but don't expect another chapter after that until the next Friday. Apologies for the delay, but I'll make sure to make it worth your while._


	14. Chapter 1-12: Investigating Distrust

I picked up a leaflet of one of the sheets that Monokuma had left behind, and read over it. It was freshly printed, and looked like it had just recently come out of the copy machine.

* * *

 **MONOKUMA FILE #01**

The Victim is Hisoka Arai.

The body was discovered in the dining hall at precisely 7:42pm, matching the time of death.

The exact cause of death cannot be ascertained, but Hisoka did die due to an inability to breathe.

There is an external injury on the upper right thigh, but this is not related to the cause of death.

The victim attempted to vomit before dying, suggesting that something he consumed caused his demise.

* * *

 _Monokuma File #01 has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

The Monokuma File, despite all the hype that the bear had led us to believe in, was surprisingly blank. In truth, it contained almost nothing we didn't already know, and in truth seemed to make us only more uncertain about the case at large. As I skimmed through it, it answered no questions, and only seemed to raise more. The others glanced at it as well, and soon realised that Monokuma's precious file was nothing more than a hollow mockery thrown at us. One would've thought that something as basic as an investigative report from a nigh-omnipresent bear would at least be helpful, but apparently not.

The truth was, it helped very little. We could've identified the time of death ourselves, as we were there when it happened. We could've identified the injury, as Yamato had made it with the Epipen. Finally, we could've obviously seen Hisoka vomiting up his guts before he died. It told us nothing.

"How could this happen?" Chizuko said. "Shit, what have we done to deserve this! What did he do to deserve to die like that! Why! Why did this have to happen!"

"Calm down," Yamato said. "Look, we might not be able to change our destiny, but we can sure pin down the person who did this to Hisoka. Wouldn't that be what he'd want us to do?"

"He'd want us to fight, he'd want us to work together and get through this," Hoshi said. "We've got to do that for him!"

"Yeah, we'll avenge him, and find out what really happened," Kenji said.

"I couldn't save another," Erika muttered to herself. "They died... under my watch."

Erika seemed to blame herself for this, perhaps believing that if she had been a better rescue worker that this disaster would've been avoided. I wished right then that I could tell her to stay strong, I wish I had consoled her, but I did none of those things. I simply let her be.

"Alright, I want everyone to search for whatever clues they can find," Yamato said. "We'll go in pairs of two, with an extra group of three." Yamato didn't clarify the reason why, but everyone knew it. Hisoka was the one that trusted everyone here, and he had wound up dead in a pool of his own vomit. Yamato wasn't the sort of man to make the same mistake.

Yamato continued. "Chizuko, you go with Yoshimi. Hoshi, go with Hitomi. Leiko, go with Ryoma. Samuru, you can come with Seita and I. We'll be the group of three. Mayu, go with Akemi. Kotaro, go with Hiroyuki. Kiyoshi, go with Kenji. Yona, go with Jitsuko. Erika, go with Kumi. Sora, go with Goro. And that leaves... Daigo to go with Noriko. If any of you leave your designated partner for any reason, I'll consider it an attempt to falsify evidence. Got it?"

At this point, nobody had the willpower to argue back, and accepted Yamato's orders as word of law. It seemed I had been grouped with Hoshi: not the worst pair I could've asked for, at least.

"Alright, you and me are a team now," Hoshi said. "We're going to nail this fucking bastard to the wall."

"Yeah," I said hesitantly, and searched around. Hoshi was right. No matter what, we had to find the person who did this, and make them pay for taking away Hisoka. The truth was, we didn't have the luxury of mourning right now - we had to stay alive for Hisoka's sake, and avenge his death. We had to bring the true criminal in this case the justice they deserved. A few things caught my eye on a glance, but one in particular stood out. It was a small tincture placed next to the soup, on Yamato's side of Hisoka's bowl.

"What's this?" I asked, as I lifted it up with hesitation. It appeared to be a poison bottle of some kind with a green tint. Oddly enough, I hadn't seen it placed there before the commotion with Hisoka.

Hoshi took the bottle from me, and peered at the label. "Not fit for human consumption, use only as directed. Can cause swelling and irritability upon human ingestion, and can lead to cardiac arrest or death," Hoshi said. "This shit's strong, and the bottle definitely seems to be open. Whoever it was, they probably killed Hisoka with this shit."

"You think they'd just leave the murder weapon lying around there like that?" I asked.

"They probably dropped it, and didn't get a chance to pick it back up when Yamato started ordering everyone around," Hoshi replied.

Somehow, I wasn't quite sure of that.

* * *

 _Bottle of Poison has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

I continued to look around. Everyone seemed on edge, each and every person investigating every nook and cranny of the dining hall for a little chance at finding the truth behind this case. In most cases, no one knew what they were doing, and they were just staring at the walls and objects scattered around the room in the hope it would do something or expose some hidden meaning behind everything. It was to no avail, and in most cases simply served as a distraction from the cold truth of reality. I scanned the room, taking a look at anything that stood out in particular - then I noticed it. Hisoka's soup seemed off somehow, and as I stared at it, I couldn't quite figure out what was wrong.

"Yo Hitomi, your soup's still full, right?" Hoshi asked me.

"Yeah, I think so," I replied. "Why?"

"Bring it over," Hoshi said. "I wanna see something."

I brought the bowl of soup over to Hisoka's place on the table, and sat the two bowls next to one another. That was when I noticed it.

"You're right," I replied. I stared down at the soup. Both Hisoka's soup and my own looked virtually identical from a distance, but I noticed something interesting looking at Hisoka's soup. Inside the soup, brown particles floated around in the broth, giving the soup a strange appearance. It was not the sort of thing you'd notice unless you looked really closely, but surely enough it was there. I stared down at the soup for a while.

"Brown particles," Hoshi said. "So what, did someone shit in his soup or something?"

"I highly doubt it, Hoshi," I said. "But still, we have no way of knowing what that stuff is. What did you guys use to make tonight's dish?"

"Nothing special like that," Hoshi said. "We just dished up tinned soup, and prepped it so it was edible."

"So, what's that stuff then?" I asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with the poison bottle?" She replied. "I mean, we know the bottle's green, but there's no way for us to tell what colour the poison is."

"Pour it into a cup perhaps?" I said. "We can explain it later to everyone."

Hoshi grabbed a clear glass from the kitchen, and poured a small amount of the poison into it. The bottle was dyed green, and the poison that came out was green as well. She then put the poison back where it was, and resealed the lid.

"Green, huh?" Hoshi said. "Probably not poison then."

"I wonder why Hisoka's meal doesn't have a green tinge to it then?" I asked.

"Maybe it was just a small dosage," Hoshi replied.

"That might be the case," I said.

* * *

 _Last Meal has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

 _Bottle of Poison has been updated._

* * *

I looked around some more. Leiko was rummaging around the bin, trying to find anything that could be incriminating, and had scattered a pile of trash across the floor and was sifting through it. She looked frantic as she tossed things around, and I approached her.

"You find anything?" I asked.

"Argh, it's useless! It's all useless!" She exclaimed. "Here I was thinking I could find a murderer, and what have I gone and done? I'm just rummaging through a trashcan. This is pathetic, more pathetic than my sex life..."

"Well, at least you're doing something," Hoshi said. "Kiyoshi's just been staring dumbfounded at the fucking wall. Kenji's trying to help her out, but it looks like that's getting a little difficult for him."

I noted that it might be wise to check in with Kiyoshi, and see whether she was alright. This had probably taken a great emotional toll on her, as it had with all of us. Truth was, it was probably taking as much of a toll on Hoshi as it was on Kiyoshi, it's just that Hoshi was better at adapting and pushing forward. She may have been quick to adapt, but it seemed Hoshi wasn't the best at understanding the weaknesses of others. I stared at the garbage pile, then noticed something.

"Hey, what's that?" I asked, as I pointed down at an 8 centimetre in diameter circular piece of cardboard with a string attached, dangling from the end. It had been dirtied with what looked to be soup on one side.

"I... don't know,' Leiko said. "Do you think it's relevant?"

"I don't know yet," I said. "But maybe it is."

"What's that on the other side?" Leiko asked me.

I flipped it over. Clinging to the other side of the cardboard was a fine brown dust.

"I have no idea," I replied. "But we'll find out, that's for sure."

* * *

 _Circular Cardboard Piece has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

I stood up. Hisoka still lay dead on the floor. Someone had draped a cloth over his face to cover him from the eyes of those who had just witnessed his death, but I couldn't help but feel as if inspecting the body would help. Monokuma had said there was no sign of external injuries asides from the epipen injection mark, and that was relatively consistent. The epipen lay next to his leg, near the area that it had been injected to. The head was extended. I think that meant that the injection had been successful, but I wasn't sure: I didn't know too much about epipens. Noriko and Daigo were already looking down at the corpse.

"Did you guys witness the whole ordeal?" I asked.

"Yeah," Noriko said. "I was pretty close to Hisoka when it happened. He'd stopped talking at one point, and eventually he fell out of his chair. At first we'd thought he was going silent, but we realised after that - something was wrong."

"What do you mean stopped talking?" I said.

"I don't know, he just stopped engaging in conversation about a minute before he fell to the floor." Noriko said. "Maybe his throat seized up, but I don't know. He wasn't really acting all that strange, he seemed pretty chipper and perky until a minute before what happened."

"So, did you witness Hisoka fall?" I asked.

"Yeah, I saw it," Noriko said. "He fell off his chair, and couldn't breathe. Yamato came to his aid, and everyone gathered around him. Hisoka pulled the epipen, Yamato injected it, and then Hisoka died."

"Did you see anything, Daigo?" I asked as well.

"I am afraid I did not witness much," Daigo said. "I was on the far side of the room, so when Hisoka died I was quite a distance away. I was not able to see much."

"Well, thanks anyway," I said.

"I apologise that I could not be of more assistance to both you and Hisoka," Daigo said. "If there is anything you need, feel free to talk to me."

"Will do," I replied.

I stepped away from the body. I didn't want to stand next to a dead man for longer than I had to, but it was impossible to envision Hisoka as truly dead. He had been alive up until the last hour, brimming with the same vigour and life he always had. It was impossible to imagine him dead, but I didn't have to imagine: his corpse was there on the floor. I stepped away from the dead body. I hadn't quite wiped the tears from my face, and I rubbed my sleeve against my eyes.

"We have to find whoever did this," I said.

* * *

 _Moments Leading up to Death has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

I was about to wander into the kitchen, but I was stopped before entering. Kumi and Erika had returned from the Inventory Room, with Monokuma in tow. "Alright guys, here comes a special announcement from yours truly!" Monokuma said. "Since some of Hisoka's stuff was still in the room, I've given express permission for you guys to take it out. Now, here comes the fun bit, the Midnight Bar is now officially in business! Take the load off with a nice bourbon, or maybe a cider, or maybe even the double-barrelled Winchester hidden behind the counter! Puhuhu, you'd be surprised how cathartic the sweet release of death can be!"

"Don't you talk about death, Monokuma!" Chizuko roared. "Especially not with a victim of yours in the fucking hallway!"

"A victim of mine, you say?" Monokuma chimed. "Hey, you got any proof, bucko!?"

"No, but I'll damn well find it," Chizuko responded.

"Still, a double barrelled Winchester?" Mayu asked. "Why isn't that in the Gun Locker?"

"Ahahahahaaaa!" Monokuma cackled. "That's for me to know, and you to never, ever find out!"

"It sure seems suspicious, I'll admit," Yamato said. "Kumi, go back with Erika and check out the Midnight Bar, see what you can find in there. If you find anything, tell me immediately."

"Understood," Erika said.

"Y-yes!" Kumi added. "Will d-d-do!"

We crowded around the table where the contents of Hisoka's inventory had been set down. On the table there were 4 epipens and a birthday card, addressed to Hisoka from his mother. I read the contents of the card.

* * *

 _To my dearest son Hisoka,_

 _Happy Birthday! Each year on this day, I am reminded of the wonderful and admirable son I have raised. You truly are growing into a fine young gentleman, and I wish you the best as you continue into your second year of study._

 _I hope today is a special day for you, and I hope you get the chance to follow your passion._

 _Yours Sincerely,_

 _Mum_

* * *

It was an incredibly heartfelt and loving card, which made it seem all the more odd that a streak of black permanent marker had been made in the corner. The streak was small, near the corner of the card, and seemed awfully strange. I wondered why it was there? Maybe the streak had some importance, but I did not know. Apparently it had raised a few eyebrows among the other eyewitnesses as well. I then turned my attention to the epipens. I looked down, and then counted them. One, two, three, four. There had not been much in the way of sentimental items in his locker, but either Hisoka or his parents must have been incredibly paranoid to warrant packing so many EpiPens on his person.

"So, does anyone know anything about why this mark might be here?" I asked.

Everyone shook their heads. They were all at a loss as to why Hisoka might mark a sentimental item that reminded him of the outside world with black permanent marker, and for good reason: it simply made no sense. The items had been taken out of his pigeon hole by Monokuma, meaning that mark had to have been made before the deadly dinner, and perhaps even before the game itself. I wondered whether it had any significance at all, but I presumed that time would tell.

* * *

 _Hisoka's Inventory has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

I think at this point, I had investigated all that I could in the dining hall. There was nothing really left of interest in here, and if I stuck around here for too long I might just end up wasting time.

"Where to now?" Hoshi asked.

"I think we should check out the Kitchen and Storeroom, in addition to the Inventory Room and the Midnight Bar," I said. "Maybe something in the Kitchen or the Storeroom might shed some light on what happened to Hisoka in terms of his food. The Inventory Room might have something to do with this as well, and might help shed some light on why Hisoka's card was marked. Also, I don't know why, but the whole thing about the Bar does seem conspicuous."

"What do you think happened?" Hoshi asked.

"I still have no idea what the hell happened," I said. "I've seen exactly the same stuff as you, and I've come to exactly the same conclusion: I don't know what is going on at all."

"Well, I'm sure we'll figure it out," Hoshi said. "For Hisoka's sake, we've got to get that fucker."

I agreed with Hisoka, and together we headed to the kitchen to investigate further. However, the truth was that neither of us had any idea what we were looking for, nor did we know anything about what had happened. The majority of the case was still shrouded in mystery - and here we were, fumbling about in the dark, trying to play detective. This was the beginning of it all, the terror of the Tsubaki Trip, and the madness that was the Killing Round Robin.

And here I was, trapped hopelessly within it.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: Now that the investigation is underway, feel free to speculate about who may have murdered Hisoka on the new poll._


	15. Chapter 1-13: Suspicions

I stepped into the kitchen. It was becoming pretty crammed, and everyone was searching all over for what little evidence they could find. Kiyoshi and Kenji were scouring the bench for any clues that could help, Chizuko was standing around searching the floor, and Yoshimi was investigating the discarded soup cans for signs of foul play. As I entered with Hoshi, the already relatively small kitchen became significantly less spacious. Yamato entered behind me, along with Samuru and Seita, and the kitchen quickly became too overcrowded to move around in. As Chizuko and Yoshimi had been in here since the incident, Yamato ordered the pair of them to investigate elsewhere so that we might be able to get a new perspective.

I searched around the room. There was very little of interest in the kitchen, regardless of how hard I looked. In truth, I was convinced for the most part that the kitchen wasn't involved in the murder - but then I noticed something. A red binder book was stashed away in one of the cupboards. It had a white medical cross emblazoned on the front, and was entitled "Allergen Information".

"Allergen Information?" I asked Yamato, who had worked in the kitchen before. "Did you know about this chart here when you were in the kitchen?"

"Yeah," Yamato replied. "It was originally stuck by the wall on that small rack there, but Hisoka moved it into the cupboard."

"He... moved it?" I asked. "Why?"

"Because he was a smart man," Yamato said. "Hisoka may have been hopeful, but he was also rational. He knew if that information fell into the wrong hands that someone would abuse it, so he hid it before anyone else could find it. He only told the cooking staff about it."

"So, he didn't trust us?" I said.

"Should he trust us?" Yamato asked. "He was killed, after all."

I sighed. As much as I hated to admit it, Hisoka had probably been poisoned - though it was difficult to tell at this point. I had to operate on the assumption that this wasn't just a case of accidental death - but an act of premeditated homicide.

"Who did have access to that allergen chart, just out of interest?" I asked Yamato.

"The allergen chart?" Yamato replied. "Hmm, I know Jitsuko and I had the chart when we were cooking, so I suppose everyone else who prepared breakfast and dinner would have known of it as well. I think Mayu and Hoshi definitely would've known. Leiko and Daigo also knew, since they were on duty at one point. Hiroyuki was on with Hisoka on the first day, so we could add him to the list as well. Samuru and Iyona were responsible for cornflake day, so them as well. I think that about covers it."

"Well, thanks for that," I said. "Truth be told though, I'm not sure whether the allergen information really has anything to do with it."

"We're here to explore all possibilities, and leave no stone unturned," Yamato responded. "Don't worry if it doesn't matter, we'll find that out when we string this all together. I do have one thing to say to you, though."

"What is it?" I asked.

Yamato leaned in close, and began to whisper in my ear. "Don't trust your partner," Yamato whispered quietly. "From what I can see at the moment, she's the prime suspect: numero uno. She was in the kitchen on food prep duty just on the day when Hisoka was murdered, and Mayu was on purple: there's nothing Mayu could've gained from murder, but Hoshi has a motive. Watch her like a hawk."

* * *

 _Yamato's Testimony has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

All possibilities. The words rang around my ears, as if it were serving as some source of unease for my subconscious. Perhaps there really was more than meets the eye with this case? There was still some inexplicable things remaining, and until I could find something to tie these loose ends together I'd be stumbling around in the dark. I sighed. There was no way for a kid like me to conduct an investigation like this, but I couldn't lose hope - not until I knew for certain that the curtain had closed. If there really was a traitor in our midst, then I had to investigate - to dispel their charade and bring truth to light. Regardless of whether they were a Scholarship Student or just a standard entry student, one of us was a killer: one of us was trying to escape by betting and working against us all. We had to win, for everyone's sake. More importantly though, I had to figure out what really happened, and I had to know whether Hoshi really could've done this. I continued my investigation in the kitchen, however there were very few leads still remaining - if any. After fruitlessly investigating the kitchen for a while, I decided to enter the storeroom and check in there.

There was only one pair of people in here, Chizuko and Yoshimi. Yoshimi was checking around the walk-in freezer, while Chizuko sat behind her rubbing his hands together. I could see them through the small portrait window on the door, and though Yoshimi looked unfazed, Chizuko was rubbing his hands together so fast that they probably should've torn each other apart like sandpaper against timber. I suppose Yoshimi was simply accustomed to the cold considering her experience on the ice, but I felt a certain kind of pity for Chizuko, who was following along behind her. Still, even despite his blue face, he looked... happy. It was a strange scene really, but I didn't bother with it. Instead, I searched around the storeroom, looking for anything that could help us. Needless to say, I didn't expect to find anything particularly important. I looked through the stuff in the storeroom. Virtually anything that was non-perishable and could be used in cooking could be found here, from red bean paste to rigatoni pasta. Three dining chairs from the main dining hall had been shoved into a corner, which were maybe replacements if the flimsy ones in there broke. However, there was very little that had actually been touched. That's why, amidst all of it, a single box of oat bars stood out. The box was clearly closed, but it stuck out because it was out of line with the other boxes, as if it had been hurriedly thrown back to where it was. A small piece of adhesive tape kept the lid down. Upon closer inspection, it seemed to be a foreign product. There was a small import label attached to the back, with a description of the product.

* * *

Zane's Wake Up with Nuts Bar

Best Before: 17/06/2024

Ingredients: Nuts (Peanuts 33%, Almonds 24%, Hazelnuts 3%), Glucose, Pepitas 8%, Honey, Rice Syrup (Rice Syrup, Water), Puffed Rice (Rice Flour, Rice Bran), Psyllium Husks, Cinnamon, Natural Vanilla Flavour.

Warning, this product contains peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts. It may also contain traces of other tree nuts, milk products, sesame seeds and soy.

Zane's Corporation takes no responsibility for any injury incurred from incorrect usage of this product, nor for any reactions that may occur as a result of consuming this product without reading the label.

Imported by Ito Foreign Goods Ltd. from the United States in accordance with Japanese Import Regulations.

* * *

I looked at the label. The muesli bar on the front of it was a tan sort of colour. Though I wasn't entirely sure why the packet had been resealed and strewn aside, somebody had done it. However, at the moment it simply looked as if somebody wanted a snack during the middle of the day. I decided to ignore the muesli bars. However, Hoshi didn't. She grabbed one from the packet, and bit down on it.

"Could you not?" I said. "Didn't we just eat?"

"So? This whole mess has made me hungry," Hoshi said. "Besides, truth is that I wouldn't mind taking my mind off all of this."

She continued to bite down on the muesli bar, and the crumbs fell to the floor. I stared down at the crumbs for a moment, then back at Hoshi.

"What is it?" Hoshi asked. "Hey, don't you tell me off for dropping crumbs everywhere. I can see that silent judgement in your eyes, you know!"

"Relax," I said. "How is it?"

"Stale as shit," Hoshi replied. "Still, better than nothing though."

"That's odd," I noted. "Shouldn't they still be in date for another month or two?"

"Well, that date's obviously bogus," Hoshi said. "These things are tougher than nails."

* * *

 _Wake Up with Nuts Bar has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

To me, the date seemed a little odd at the time, but it wasn't for a while that I would have much of an idea about why. I decided now might be a good time to check out the cool room with Yoshimi and Chizuko. Chizuko was in a rather sorry state by the time we entered, and Yoshimi had turned up very few leads in the cool room. There didn't seem to be anything of interest in here at all, but appearances could be deceptive.

"Come on Yosh," Chizuko said. "How long you gonna look? I'm turning into a smurf from hypothermia here."

Yoshimi was staring at something on the shelf, appearing deep in contemplation as we entered the cool room. However, it was not as if she had found anything, but rather that she was maybe using this time to process the fact that somebody was murdered before her very eyes.

"Don't worry about the cold, it won't kill you," Yoshimi said. "We have to help out, in whatever way we can, right?"

"I'm sure another dead body won't help anybody," Chizuko said.

"I'm sure if it's yours, then it might help someone," Yoshimi snarked back. Chizuko laughed a little, and though the joke was a little too soon considering its proximity to Hisoka's death, the two of them at least tried to ignore the reality of their situation for the moment. Hoshi and I intruded.

"How's the investigation going in here?" I asked Yoshimi.

"Not really much to speak of," Yoshimi said. "We haven't turned up a damn thing, not to mention my partner hasn't uncurled himself from a ball since we got here."

"So, not good?" Hoshi said.

"I'm sure there's something in here..." Yoshimi continued. "But for the life of me, I can't seem to find it."

"Why are you so hell-bent on searching in here?" Hoshi asked. "Aren't there more important places to look at?"

"We wouldn't know if this place is important until we search it all over!" Yoshimi said. "We've got to at least look around, don't we?"

"Well, your partner's half-dead, so maybe it's time to call it quits," Hoshi said.

"Well, he shouldn't have just been sitting on the floor," Yoshimi said. "You've got to be active to stay warm, you know?"

"Hey Yoshimi," I interrupted. "Where were you seated when it happened?"

"Pretty close to Hisoka, near the centre," Yoshimi said.

"Did you see any poison near where Hisoka was?" I asked.

"No, I didn't," Yoshimi said. "You're talking about the little green bottle on the table, right?"

"Yeah," I responded. "That one."

"I don't think it was there until after Hisoka fell," Yoshimi asked. "Is that what you're asking?"

"Well, I suppose," I replied. "Did you notice anything strange about what was happening around him at the time?"

"Not really, I mean not much changed at all from usual in honesty," Yoshimi said. "Hisoka sat in the exact same spot he usually did, ate like usual, nothing out of the ordinary. Except... well, except what happened to him."

"So, there was nothing out of the ordinary?" I asked initially, but then I realised something about what Yoshimi had said. "Hang on a moment, you said that he 'sat in the exact same spot', what do you mean by that?"

"Hisoka always sits in the same spot in the dining hall. Close to the kitchen, but not too close," Yoshimi said. "I think he's just one of those guys who tends to get into a routine and can never quite shake it. That's all."

"So, he never moves from that spot?" I said.

"Not that I know of," Yoshimi said. "Everyone else just picks a random spot, but not Hisoka. Do you think that's relevant?"

"Well, I suppose we'll find out," I replied.

* * *

 _Hisoka's Spot has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

"So, who else was near him at the time?" I asked.

"I was sitting two places across from Ryoma," Yoshimi said. "He was sitting opposite Yamato, who was next to Hisoka. Opposite Hisoka was Noriko, and next to her was Kotaro. Kotaro was sitting across from Samuru, who was seated next to Seita. Opposite Seita was Akemi. I think that's about it. The poison was placed to the right side of the bowl, between Yamato and Hisoka's places, but it definitely wasn't there when Yamato went to help out Hisoka."

"How can you be sure?" I asked.

"I looked straight at Hisoka when it happened," Yoshimi replied. "I wouldn't have missed a green bottle that stood out like that, not in a million years. The poison may have been on his side, but there was no way he could've placed it."

* * *

 _Seating Arrangement has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

"Well, if you find anything, let us know," I said to Yoshimi. Truth was, I was starting to freeze over, and I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible. I think Hoshi shared my sentiment, but unfortunately Chizuko was not blessed with the luxury of escape.

"Come back!" He yelled to us as we left. "Help me out here, guys!"

"You'll survive," Hoshi said. "Grit your teeth and bear it."

"Sorry..." I added in a low voice, and the pair of us left the storeroom, heading through the kitchen and arriving back in the dining hall where we had started. Many of the people had cleared out by this point, but it seemed that Mayu and Akemi still remained behind. The pair of them were seated by the table, apparently discussing the inventory items on the table, still trying to work out some loose ends about some things.

"You guys okay?" I asked.

"Yeah, about as okay as you can be in this sort of situation. I'm just looking over these. There were four of them in his locker, and one of them on his person," Akemi said, and held up one of the epipens on the table. "Hisoka tried to use one of these before he died, but I'm still trying to figure out why he'd use one if he was poisoned."

"You think he mistook the symptoms maybe?" Mayu said. "It could've just been error on his part, but even I'm not wholly convinced of that."

"Yo, you guys know anything about how these Epipens work?" Hoshi said. "I've never seen one of these things used."

"Well, they're administer a single dose of adrenaline into the bloodstream from what I know," Akemi said. "Real potent stuff which is good against anaphylaxis, but you wouldn't want to be injecting it into yourself if you didn't have it. The blue cap on the opposite end of the needle stops that from happening, its a safety."

"What would happen if you did that?" I asked.

"Anxiety, raised pulse, tremors, and dizziness," Akemi replied. "According to the label at least, it can lead to heart failure with extreme overdosing. It's a pretty terrible way to go."

"I don't think he had a raised pulse though, did he?" I asked.

"It'd be sort of difficult to tell, wouldn't you think?" Mayu interjected. "I mean, he was probably already frightened because of the fact that he couldn't breathe, his heart rate could be elevated for any number of reasons."

"Actually, I disagree," Akemi said. "It also said something about tremors, and now that I think about it Hisoka didn't really do anything like that. What happened?"

"I've got no idea," I said. "We're stumbling about in the dark here."

I sighed, and thought for a moment. Truth was, we'd found nothing that seemed to be able to spell out this case. Murder investigations were something that took weeks, not hours, and yet here we were trying desperately to fight by flailing at adversity and hoping for a stroke of good fortune. It was pitiful, but I wasn't resolved to fail just yet. I still had questions to ask.

"Mayu, who was on kitchen duty before dinner?" I asked.

"That would be Hoshi and I," Mayu said. "We were on cooking duty tonight, so we had to prepare the food. Yamato, Daigo, and Samuru were on plate-duty. After they had finished, there was a brief moment where we all met in the kitchen to discuss the meal, and then we notified everyone that their meals were ready. It would be just enough time to enter, pour the poison, then leave."

"Wait, Samuru volunteered?" I asked.

"No, Samuru was volunteered," Hoshi interjected. "Hisoka shoved him on because of the cornflake day, said he had to do something. Seriously, I mean if he's going to eat the food, the least he could do is set the bloody table!"

"So, that means Hisoka told you two about the Allergen Information Chart?" I queried.

"Of course," Mayu replied. "We had to know, otherwise we couldn't have made dinner at all. Hisoka was very clear though - we weren't supposed to tell anyone that it existed."

"Why did he go to such great lengths to hide it?" I asked.

"Why do you think?" Mayu responded. "There's only one serious allergy in that folio: and that is Hisoka's. If someone tried to use that to their advantage, he'd be in the firing line."

* * *

 _Autoinjector has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

 _Mayu's Testimony has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

There was no doubt about it, Mayu was suspicious as well: the same as Yamato. That dry hint of cynicism laced with her vocal expression, hinting at a veiled suspicion of Hoshi well before the investigation had even finished. This case was beginning to shape up before us, and it looked like the majority of people were willing to skip to the climax and indict Hoshi. I wanted to say that I couldn't let them do that, but in truth I simply wanted answers. I didn't know Hoshi, I didn't know if she was capable of that atrocity: but truth be told I didn't rule it out as an option. At the end of the day, I swore to myself that I would find the truth and follow that trail of breadcrumbs to its source - whether it led to Nakashima or otherwise. I left, and headed to the inventory room. There was only one more place I could look for answers, and I was certainly in dire need of at least a shred of more evidence.


	16. Chapter 1-14: The Locked Room

I walked through the passageway, and headed towards the Inventory Room. A few people were lingering about the hallway, and all of them seemed to have a somewhat downtrodden expression on their faces: in honesty, I couldn't blame them. The halls of this place seemed now to be draped with the stains of sinister intentions, and we were finally beginning to realise that Monokuma had been right in all he said. Would more people die? Whatever the case, we had to escape from here immediately, and we had to figure out the truth behind Hisoka's death. Hoshi and I entered the Inventory Room. As it was nighttime and the Inventory Room had been cleared following Monokuma taking Hisoka's inventory for the investigation, the day-time only restriction on the Inventory Room had been lifted. We now had a chance to look inside both the bar and the inventory room.

"Hey Hoshi," I asked. "Can you get into the Bar from the outside?"

"Nup, I tried," Hoshi replied. "It's completely sealed."

I wasn't sure about whether I should be worried or grateful for the fact that Hoshi had apparently tried to get into the bar in the middle of the night. Still, that meant the only entrance to the bar was through the Inventory Room, and that only entrance couldn't be used at night when the bar was accessible.

* * *

 _Bar Restriction has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

I looked around upon entering the Inventory Room. It was almost the same as I had remembered it, save for one small detail - the circled number on Samuru's Locker. Each locker had a number next to it, from 1 to 24. However, the number five on Samuru's Locker had been circled with what looked to be a felt-tipped marker. Why Samuru's though? Was there some special significance about it?

"Yo Goro, Sora," Hoshi asked the two of them as they investigated another portion of the room. "You know anything about this?"

"I don't..." Goro said. "It's been there since we got here."

"Uhh, I've got no clue either," Sora added. "I'm sure there's a reason for it though. Maybe Monokuma did it to frame Samuru?"

"Monokuma?" I asked. "You think Monokuma did it?"

"Uh-huh," Sora said. "He's the one that wanted this so badly to happen, he probably took matters into his own hands to do it. That's why he left the Monokuma File so ambiguous and open-ended, to make us fill in the gaps and paint each other as murderers."

Somehow, that seemed unlikely to me. I wasn't quite sure why, but something told me that though Monokuma would have had plenty of motive to commit the murder, he wouldn't have gone about it in this way if that were the case. If he really wanted someone dead, he could've called them out and shot them at point blank range with the exisal and shoved one of the Shooting Range guns down at the crime scene to make it look accidental. Something told me that Monokuma wouldn't be the sort of individual to rely on subtlety like this case seemed to.

"So, why Samuru though?" I asked. "If Samuru did anything this round, he'd get penalised either way. Don't you think that if someone was trying to throw us off the scent of the killer, they'd find a more eligible candidate?"

"That sort of psychology just makes it more likely," Sora replied. "We wouldn't suspect it if it happened, so Monokuma's probably betting on that to try and throw us off the scent."

"Sora, I'm not so sure..." Goro began.

"It has to be Monokuma," Sora replied. "He's the only one who benefits from it."

I didn't think I was going to get any further with this argument, and so I began to tune out, and investigated the rest of the room as Goro and Sora began to debate with one another.

* * *

 _The Number 5 Locker has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

I looked around the room. The Golden Monokuma Statue stared back at me, with those cold and menacing eyes along with that vicious half-smile. You could see the malign intent within it, in addition to the narcissistic vanity of Monokuma himself. However, I saw something poking out from underneath it.

"Hey Hoshi, can you help me move this?" I asked.

"You think you can move that by just lifting it?" Hoshi replied.

"If we work together, I think so," I said.

"Well, may as well give it a shot," Hoshi said.

The pair of us barely got the statue an inch off the ground before struggling and wanting to put it down again. Lifting this damn thing was at least a two-person job, if not more - that much was clear. We moved the statue to the side, and placed it down.

"Fucking hell, this thing is such a pain to move!" Hoshi said. "And Hitomi, what the hell? You left me with like three quarters of the weight!"

"Hey, I'm trying!" I exclaimed. "I'm not used to this sort of thing!"

"Well, whatever," Hoshi said. "Still, that's pretty damn heavy - why is it even in here?"

As if on cue, Monokuma entered the room. Wearing precisely the same expression as the statue, seeing the pair of them next to one another reminded us of just how faithful this metalloid reproduction of Monokuma's visage really was.

"Why is anything anywhere?" Monokuma asked us rhetorically. "It's because it looks handsome, and I look handsome, that's why! I mean, you guys got to put all your mushy crap in here, so I figured that I may as well shove something that's important to me in here, you know?"

"So, by something important to you - you mean yourself?" I said.

Monokuma gave me a glare, but nothing more. He knew I was right, and didn't comment further.

"Well anyway, I came here to check how you guys were going with your investigations, you know?" Monokuma said. "Watching from behind the scenes just gets so boring after a while, you simply have to step into the action and enjoy it yourself!"

"How could anyone enjoy this?" Hoshi said. "You're a sick fuck, you know that?"

"Puhuhu, I know... I'm absolutely radical!" Monokuma retorted, and then began to cackle. Then he noticed something near the base of the statue.

"Hey! Who wore down the base of my statue!" Monokuma yelled. "When I find whoever it is who did this, I swear I'm going to make you pay!"

It was becoming abundantly clear that attempting any discussion with Monokuma was going to be nigh impossible. However, he was right about the statue. There was a small abrasion to one side of the statue, where the brass of the base had presumably been scraped by some sort of object. I wonder why?

* * *

 _Brass Monokuma has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

"So, why'd you want me to move this heavy ass piece of crap anyway?" Hoshi asked.

"I thought I saw something under it," I replied. "I wanted to take a look at it, and see whether it might be important."

"If you say so, but I doubt anybody could just fit something under that thing without pulling their arms out of their sockets," Hoshi said.

The pair of us wandered back over to the spot where the statue had been, and we had found what we were looking for. Beneath the statue, there was a fluffy pillow which bore several stab marks. I wondered how it got there, but presumably it had been placed there by whoever put the statue there in the first place to keep it from damaging the floor. In spite of this, the floor beneath the statute had been damaged in several sections, and there only seemed to be one cushion beneath the statue.

"That's odd," I said. "Why is this here?"

"I don't know," Hoshi replied. "Maybe someone took the other three for the other corners, and that was the only one left behind?"

Considering the state of the floor beneath the statue, I somehow doubted that was the case. The pillow had puncture marks on the one side of it, and Hoshi decided to stick her finger in one of them.

"Ugh, it's wet!" She said. "Why is it wet?!"

"That's what happens when you stick your fingers in holes like that, you know?" Leiko said from behind. I was surprised from the remark, and turned around.

"I see you're returning to your old self," I replied.

"I never left, baby," Leiko added.

"Please, save me from her," Ryoma said. "For the love of God, she has been making innumerable indecent advances upon me the entire time we have been partnered up. I'm beginning to fear for myself. I cannot take this any longer."

I thought about it for a moment, and decided in favour. "Alright, I'll switch with Leiko for now," I replied. "Hoshi, you can babysit the pervert for a while."

"Why me?" Hoshi asked.

"Come on, don't just treat me like a pass the parcel!" Leiko said, before looking back and what she said and correcting herself. "Actually no, that wouldn't be that bad..."

"What happened while we were gone though?" I asked Leiko. "Only a minute ago, you were moping about Hisoka's death, and now you're standing here like nothing's happened. What got into you?"

"I realised something," Leiko said with a deadpan tone. "He wouldn't want me to sit around moping, he'd want me to fight. He'd want all of us to fight, but most importantly he'd want us to never lose sight of who we are. I'm a pervert, you're a whackjob, he's a prude, and she's a sweatball. We all have to fight, and no matter how bad the situation might be, we have to be us."

"That would've been a pretty inspiring speech," I said. "That is, if only you didn't insult your entire audience with it. Since when am I the whackjob though?"

"Yeah, and I'm no prude," Ryoma replied. "There are just some things that are simply unacceptable, like the grand majority of your behaviour."

"Yeah!" Hoshi added. "And I'm no sweatball... It's just that I lifted that statue there. It took a lot of effort, you know!?"

"Well whatever, we still have a murder to investigate," I said. "Let's not lose sight of that."

"Yeah, let's pin this bastard once and for all," Leiko sad.

* * *

 _Pillow has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

Ryoma and I split off from Hoshi and Leiko, and began to search around more for leads.

"Hitomi, do you know what that is up there?" Ryoma asked. He pointed to an area above the pigeon holes, and my eyes followed his outstretched finger to what looked like a two-wheeled dolly on the top of the pigeon holes.

"I'm pretty sure it's for lifting stuff," I replied. "Don't quote me on that though."

Monokuma listened into our conversation, and interjected. "That's a dolly, been up there since the day you guys got here," Monokuma stated. "What, you haven't noticed it until now?"

"No, I didn't notice it," I said.

"Neither did I," Ryoma added.

"Are you sure about that?" Monokuma said. "It's definitely been up there since the first day, you know? Your mind could be playing tricks on you. Just because you didn't notice it, doesn't mean that it wasn't there."

"Are you trying to insinuate something, Monokuma?" Ryoma asked.

"So what if I was?" Monokuma replied. "What're you gonna do about it?"

Monokuma then trailed off into a high-pitched laughter.

"If it was up there since the first day, then why was it there in the first place?" I asked.

"I don't know, I didn't put it there," Monokuma said. "I'm a busy bear, I barely have time to keep track of my appointments let alone some mundane crap like that. It's a beary demanding job, you know?"

"Did you just make a bear pun?" I asked.

"I should be allowed to make whatever pun I like," Monokuma said. "Geez, look at the fun police over here."

"Let's just get back to the investigation, Hitomi," Ryoma said. "He's probably trying to stall us so we run out of time to investigate."

"Alright, let's investigate the Midnight Bar," I said. "I still have some things I want to check out."

* * *

 _Dolly has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

The pair of us left the Inventory Room, and headed to the Midnight Bar. There seemed to be several people in here, including Yamato, Samuru, Seita, Iyona, and Jitsuko. They were all crowded around something on the floor, and Yamato was leaned down towards it. I wandered over to see what the commotion was about. In the middle of the Midnight Bar, in a supposedly inaccessible room, was a broken Spice Grinder and a Black Felt-Tip Marker. It was impossible, there was no way to get inside, and yet here they were - staring up at us as if they wished to fly in the face of every theory we could've made about what happened.

"Monokuma!" Yamato yelled. "Get in here!"

"Only if you ask nicely," Monokuma replied. "I'm a sensitive guy, you know?"

"You said no-one could enter the bar, right?" Yamato said.

"That's right!" Monokuma exclaimed. "The bar was off-limits the whole time."

"Are these yours then?" Yamato asked, and then pointed to the marker and the spice grinder.

"What? You think I'm the sort of bear that just leaves his stuff lying around on the floor?" Monokuma said. "How shameful, I'd never do something like that! And look, the blades on that thing are all blunted. There's no way I'd misuse my stuff like that."

"Well then how the hell did it get there," Samuru interjected.

"Puhuhu, that's for me to know, and you to find out!" Monokuma replied. "At least, if you want to get past this trial, you know?"

"You know who did this, don't you, Monokuma?" Samuru said.

"Of course I do," Monokuma stated. "I'd be a terrible supervisor if I didn't know what you guys were doing at all times. I know the murderer, and I know the truth... AHAHAHAHAAA! This is gonna be a blast! Will you find the answer, or won't you? I'm sitting on the edge of my seat!"

With that, Monokuma left, and we were left once more in the dark: as we had been before.

* * *

 _Electric Spice Grinder has been added to the Truth Bullets Section._

* * *

I looked back at the ground, and saw the black marker. Its lid was removed, and the tip had dried out. A shard of the broken Spice Grinder had landed on top of the black marker, suggesting that whatever happened, the marker was there before the Spice Grinder got there.

"What do you think about the black marker?" I asked.

"Pretty strange thing to find on a bar floor, but I think the Spice Grinder's probably more important," Jitsuko said. "There is not a shred of doubt in my mind though - both of them are incredibly suspicious."

"Maybe they just fell off the counter or something?" Seita said.

"But why'd they fall off in the first place then?" Yona queried. "There's no way they'd just fall down like that, something would have to move them."

"I don't know," Seita replied. "Ugh, I'm just trying to help, you know? Nii-san, help me out here please."

"I've... got no clue," Samuru said. "Unfortunately, I usually have a better grasp of the situation, but I suppose I'm a political correspondent - not a private investigator anyway."

* * *

 _The Black Marker has been added to the Truth Bullets Section_

* * *

"I think we're all out of our depth," Ryoma added. "Unfortunately, this is the curve-ball that life has dealt us. We have to press on."

"Yeah..." I said, although I was a little hesitant. "Instead of trying to understand it by just talking about that, maybe we could talk about something else to help us shed light on what happened here?"

"Such as?" Samuru asked.

"I don't know, was there any point in time that somebody had the ability to get in here in a method other than through this door?" I asked.

"There's no other entrances," Jitsuko said. "I've scoured every inch of this bar, and no place leads to the outside of this room. The only way in and out is that door, and we couldn't pass through it."

"So, it's a locked room?" I said.

"A locked room?" Jitsuko asked. "I'm afraid I'm unfamiliar with that term."

"It basically means since no-one could get in and out, there's no way that we can know how this was done," Samuru said. "All participants are banned from entering the room, but someone had to enter the room to place these objects. There must be a trick to this, but at the moment we're blissfully unaware of what method they used."

"How long do you think it would take to set up a method like that?" Iyona asked.

"Why?" Samuru replied. "Is there something that you might know about this?"

"It's... it's probably not important," Iyona said.

"There's a man dead in the other room," Samuru said. "For his sake, whatever it is and no matter the importance, it's worthwhile to at least say it."

"I'm in agreement on that," Yamato added. "Iyona, even if what you know turns out to be trivial, you at least know something that could help us shed light on what happened."

"Well, it happened on the first day," Yona said. "I went to go get my inventory from the Inventory Room initially, but the door was locked at the time. At the time, I assumed that somebody was simply using it for something, so I decided to come back later. Fifteen minutes later, I headed back to the room, and when I returned it was unlocked."

"Wait, hold on, there's..." Ryoma began, but was cut off halfway by what appeared to be a speaker in the bar.

"Attention students!" Monokuma yelled. "The time is upon us, and with this dawns the first class trial! Please make your way over to the campfire, and don't get lost twice in a row - I'm not all that forgiving of those who hold up the trial, you know?"

"Wait, right now?" Seita said. "But we still don't know anything at all..."

"We have to hope that what we know is going to be enough," Ryoma told Seita. "If we have faith, we may be able to turn the evidence we have into truth."

"I can't believe... someone killed Hisoka," Seita said. "He kept us all together throughout everything, and this was his reward. This world really is a disgusting place."

"We have to get to the campfire," Yamato said. "The best we can do is hope for truth, and try to stay alive. Let's head there now."

We headed out of the room, and headed toward the campfire. Everyone else had rendezvoused there at this point, and so when we arrived the only person we were waiting on was Monokuma himself. After a short while, Monokuma arrived.

"This is an outrage," Chizuko said. "How the hell do you expect us to come to a conclusion with only an hour or two's worth of investigating?"

"Relax, take a deep breath," Monokuma said. "You guys have twelve of the most talented people in the country on your side, and while you reserves might not be worth much, I'm sure those capable ultimates can do wonders and discover the truth."

"You trying to fucking start something?" Hoshi said. "We're just as good as they are!"

"Ooh, looks like someone's fired up!" Monokuma said. "Show me what you're made of... in the class trial of course."

"Class Trial?" Noriko asked. "What, are you going to put us up in a courtroom or something?"

"Of course!" Monokuma said. "A game of mutual suspicion done around a campfire? How anticlimactic would that be! Now, do I have a surprise for you - with this I'm proud to present the X1 Trial Grounds. It's the stuff you've all been waiting for, the showdown between the blackened and the spotless. Who will win? Are we all gathered around closely? Good, let's get this all underway then!"

As all 24 of us stood obliviously around the campfire, the ground began to shake, before the campfire area we were standing on fell beneath the rest of the Earth. We were gradually lowered down, and what had initially seemed to be just an ordinary campfire turned into something extraordinary and beyond comprehension. The ground continued to fall, but after a while it slowed down slightly, and then stopped entirely. Before us, a regal door about double the size of the tallest person here stood, and it seemed to beckon us to enter.

"Well come along, someone standing here right now is the culprit, and we don't have all day to find them!" Monokuma said.

We all followed reluctantly behind Monokuma, and prepped ourselves for the battle for justice that would follow.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: So, looks like the investigation has concluded, and the trial is underway. If you flick over the page, you'll find a portfolio of all the Truth Bullets for the first case. Here's a challenge for you though: if someone can figure out the first murderer from the Truth Bullets provided and give me a reasoned theory about what happened, I'll double my upload rate until the end of Chapter 1 (which is not far away now). If you have a theory, feel free to pm me with what you think happened. Who knows, maybe you're right?_


	17. Chapter 1-15: Court Preparation

**Case 1 - Court Preparation**

* * *

 _It has only been two days since the beginning of the Tsubaki Academy Rural Trip, and tragedy has struck. Hisoka Arai was murdered in front of the entire hall, and it is up to the remaining students to find the identity of his killer. With almost no evidence to arraign any murderer with, will the prodigal students be able to overcome this hurdle and reach the truth, or fall into the gaping maw of deceit and despair?_

* * *

 _TRUTH BULLETS_

Monokuma File #01: The Victim is Hisoka Arai. The body was discovered in the dining hall at precisely 7:42pm, matching the time of death. The exact cause of death cannot be ascertained, but Hisoka did die due to an inability to breathe. There is an external injury on the upper right thigh, but this is not related to the cause of death. The victim attempted to vomit before dying, suggesting that something he consumed caused his demise.

Poison: A bottle of poison was found next to Hisoka's soup. The tincture in the bottle was green. It was found shortly after the murder was committed, although it had not been placed on the table before or during Hisoka falling to the ground. The side-effects of the poison upon human ingestion are swelling and irritability, and the major side-effects can lead to cardiac arrest and death.

Last Meal: Hisoka was eating a mushroom soup before his death. Unlike the other soup bowls around the table, Hisoka's meal had a slight brown discolouration mixed in.

Circular Cardboard Piece: A piece of cardboard, roughly 8 cm in diameter, was found in the garbage bin. Attached to it was a long white string, and it seemed to be dirty on both sides with two different substances.

Moments Leading up to Death: Hisoka was not acting unusual when he arrived at the hall, nor did he act different at all until slightly before his demise. Shortly before his death, Hisoka was trying to reach into his pocket to pull something out: an epinephrine auto-injector. Upon injection, the epipen did not work as intended, and Hisoka then died.

Hisoka's Inventory: A set of four Epinephrine Auto-Injectors and a Birthday Card were found in Hisoka's pigeon-hole, and after his death the contents of his locker were taken and placed by Monokuma on the central dining table. The Birthday Card had been streaked with black marker.

Yamato's Testimony: Everyone on cooking duty had access to the allergen information chart provided by Monokuma, which listed various people's allergic triggers along with their side effects. Nobody outside of this circle would have knowledge of it, as Hisoka made sure to inform the duty cooks only before they started. Hisoka had originally moved it out of sight, in the event that somebody would use it with ill intent. As Hisoka charged himself with exploring the dining hall, he was the first person to arrive at this time.

Wake Up with Nuts Bar: A foreign muesli bar made with nuts. The box was found sealed shut with sticky-tape, and was hastily returned to the shelf in an uneven fashion. Two nut bars are missing, and their wrapping is unaccounted for. The Nut Bar contains peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts. It may also contain traces of other tree nuts, milk products, sesame seeds and soy. They are quite brittle, suggesting they might be stale, but the best before date should still be a month away.

Hisoka's Spot: Hisoka sits in the same spot every time at the dinner table, regardless of how everyone else sits around the room.

Seating Arrangement: Both Yamato and Samuru were seated to either side of the deceased. The poison was placed to Yamato's side of the soup-bowl, but Yamato would have been unable to place the poison as he was the person who attempted to resuscitate Hisoka.

Autoinjector: A disposable medication injector which is loaded with an adrenal shot which is designed to be used against anaphylaxis. Hisoka had four of these in his pigeon-hole, and one of them in his pocket. They are single-use and only contain one dose of the compound, but the safety cap on the rear can be reapplied after injection. Hisoka had four of these in his inventory locker, and one on his person.

Mayu's Testimony: Mayu and Hoshi were on duty as the cooks on the night of the murder. Yamato, Daigo, and Samuru were on plate-duty. Samuru had been forced to act as a kitchen-hand that night, after failing to participate as a cook on the dreaded "corn-flake morning". However, there was a very small window of time where the food on the table had been left unattended by all of them.

The Number 5 Locker: Each Locker in the Inventory Room had a number against it, and a name tag below it. Samuru's Locker, with the label "5" on it, had been circled in black marker.

Bar Restriction: No-one was allowed to step inside the bar until after the murder due to the time restriction, which while Hisoka's locker remained filled prevented access to the bar due to the "daylight only rule" of the Inventory Room conflicting with the "nighttime only rule" of the Bar. As the daylight period was the exact opposite of the nighttime period, there is no way that anybody could have crossed the threshold without incurring a penalty.

Brass Monokuma: There is a Brass Monokuma statue to one corner of the room. It is incredibly heavy, and is impossible to move unassisted: however the base shows signs of wear that could only be made by movement, and a small portion of the pillow is visible beneath.

Pillow: The Pillow was found beneath the Brass Monokuma. There were several stab marks in the pillow, and the stab marks were slightly wet with some unknown substance.

Dolly: A two-wheeled dolly was found above the pigeon holes. It is unclear how long the dolly had been sitting there, but Monokuma suggests it has been up there since the day everyone woke.

The Black Marker: The Black Marker was found in the bar, beneath one of the broken shards of the Spice Grinder. It had allegedly been in there for some time, as without a lid it had dried up in the open air. It was beneath a broken shard of the Electric Spice Grinder, suggesting that the marker had been thrown first.

Electric Spice Grinder: Found in the Midnight Bar smashed to pieces, the Spice Grinder is a simple appliance designed to macerate spices into finer compounds. The spice grinder has been smashed to bits, and the reason for it being there is unknown. It appears that the blades have been blunted slightly, suggesting it was used at some point against something with a hard texture. It has a long black power cable stretching out of it.

Iyona's Testimony: After an interrogation by Samuru, Iyona revealed that some time after Purple had collected their inventory items, the room had been locked by some method. When she returned fifteen minutes later, the room was unlocked again, and there was no evidence that anyone had entered in the first place.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: Sorry, I forgot to post this along with the previous chapter, which I was supposed to do. Oops... Anyway, this should help to give you a clearer idea of what might come up in the trial which starts next week, and maybe you can figure out the culprit and how the murder was executed in advance with the evidence here?_


	18. Chapter 1-16: This Twisted Trial

We were greeted with a massively oversized courtroom, stylised after what looked to be the warm interior of a log cabin meshed with a series of flashy red curtains. In the centre of those stands, there was yet another fire pit. The courtroom was massive, and it was close to impossible to believe that a structure like this could have been built here.

"Pick a podium, any podium!" Monokuma yelled. "Make yourselves feel at home, put your feet up, do what you lazy teenagers do best: nothing!"

There were exactly 24 podiums. One of them was occupied by a picture frame on a post, with a picture of Hisoka's face plastered over by a massive cross mark. It wasn't quite a circle, as there was a gap in it. It would have been perfect, but it appeared Monokuma had made a mistake: and the result was that the stands did not make a perfect circle. Everyone made their way to a random podium of their choice.

* * *

Stand Order (From Left to Right)

Hiroyuki - Kumi - Mayu - Erika - Daigo - Chizuko - Noriko - Kenji - Kiyoshi - Sora - Jitsuko - Yoshimi - Akemi - Hisoka (X) - Hitomi - Yamato - Ryoma - Kotaro - Hoshi - Goro - Leiko - Samuru - Seita - Iyona

* * *

"Well, looks like you guys have all found your places," Monokuma said. "Righto! We're just waiting on one more, then we can get on with the show."

"One more?" Goro asked. "Who else could we possibly be waiting for?"

"Well, Mr. Exisal of course!" Monokuma replied. "You seriously forgot about your assistant teacher? You kids nowadays, how unacceptable."

The exisal wandered in, and occupied the empty space between Hiroyuki and Iyona's respective stands.

"Since the guest of honour has joined us, the class trial can get underway!" Monokuma said. "The wait has been unbearable, but now we're here with our peers, and the truth's looming near. Let's get this show on the road!"

"So, how does this whole thing work?" Kenji asked.

"Silence, I'm getting to that!" Monokuma said. "Geez, way to ruin the build-up, Mister Marina. So, how this works is that each of you will get the chance to discuss who is the blackened in an open court setting. Should you find the blackened, then only they will be punished: but if you don't, I'll punish everyone besides the blackened! Discuss, dispute, and distrust! That's the aim of the Killing Round Robin CLASS TRIAL!"

"I'll lead us off in discussion then," Yamato said. "Hisoka Arai died at 7:42pm, as the Monokuma File outlines. Before that, he fell to the floor - apparently struggling to breathe, and then he lost consciousness. As we were unable to remedy the situation, Hisoka... Hisoka..."

Yamato stopped mid-sentence, the words he wanted to say failing to leave his mouth.

"Hisoka died, in front of all 24 of us," Samuru concluded. "The cause of death is unknown."

"So, how did Hisoka die then?" Kenji said. "Wouldn't we have to work that out to figure out what happened?"

"But Monokuma said he couldn't ascertain the cause of death?" Mayu said. "What makes you think we'll do any better?"

"Give us a summary of what happened, and maybe you'll find a little gem hidin' in the rough," Monokuma said. "You'll never know until you give it a shot, will you?"

This was the moment where the group of us became embroiled within a world of trickery and deceit, a foul realm of subterfuge and backstabbing - both literally and metaphorically. We had to find the truth about the killer, so maybe it was lurking within the depths of that summary?

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: NON-STOP DEBATES

Non-Stop Debates occur during a class trial. In order to succeed in a Non-Stop Debate, you must find contradictions between what people are saying and blow them apart by firing the appropriate "truth bullet" into that statement. Statements that can be refuted will be marked with **bold text** , and the statement that is refuted will be marked with **bold underline text**. The used truth bullet will be stated at the end of the debate.. Keep this in mind when heading into the debates ahead, and remember: this is just the beginning, there's more to come.

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Last Meal  
\- Poison  
\- Monokuma File #01  
\- Yamato's Testimony

* * *

"Well, Hisoka died in the dining hall," Mayu said. "He was clutching his throat when he fell, so maybe he was **choking on something?** "

"That's impossible," Chizuko said. "The meal was soup, there's no way you could choke on soup!"

"We can't say that he choked to death, but there's no doubt that **something killed him** ," Kotaro said. "If he died of oxygen deprivation as we thought, **maybe that has something to do with it?** "

"Well, what could have killed him though?" Leiko said. "If it was something in his food, then it had to have been the **poison sitting next to his soup**."

"The only one who could've poured that was Yamato," Hiroyuki said. "The poison was on his side, **it had to be him!** "

"Hold on, **there's no way** I could've done it!" Yamato exclaimed.

"Well, case closed," Iyona said. "See you, Yamato."

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I interjected._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Last Meal_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"What's the matter, Hitomi?" Yamato said.

"What Leiko just said..." I started. "It's clearly wrong. Hisoka's soup, I don't think it could have been poisoned, due to the colour of the soup."

"What's wrong with the colour of the soup?" Leiko asked. "There's nothing wrong with it.

"That's the issue. Asides from a few brown particles in it, there was nothing different about that dish from any of the other soups," I replied. "Hoshi, you saw it as well, right?"

Hoshi nodded. "I saw it, yeah. It looked sus' as hell. There was weird shit in it, and I certainly don't remember it being there."

"Little brown particles," I said. "They weren't green like they should've been if he was poisoned with the stuff on the table."

"So, you don't think the poison had anything to do with it?" Akemi said.

"To the contrary," I replied. "I think the poison was a red herring to begin with."

"A red herring?" Noriko said. "Then I guess the murderer, whoever they may be, was trying to throw us off the trail with that piece of evidence?"

"Yeah, it was meant to distract us from the real cause of death," I said. "There's no way the person who possessed the poison could've forced it down Hisoka's throat in front of 22 other people, nor was there any indication that the poison was in his food."

"So? What really happened to him?" Yoshimi said. "Isn't that what we need to find out?"

"I agree with Yoshimi," Kenji said. "We need to find the thing that did kill him, not the things that couldn't have."

"If it wasn't the poison, then what was it?" Taro asked.

"That's what we need to find out, isn't it?" Goro answered. "We know about as much as you do, Taro."

"Sorry, I was hoping someone else might know a little somethin'," Taro said. "Guess I'm mistaken."

"So, what killed him then?" Erika said. "If we can find that, then maybe his death will not be in vain."

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Autoinjectors  
\- Monokuma File #01  
\- Poison  
\- Hisoka's Inventory

* * *

"If he was not killed by the poison, then there must be some other method of administering the fatal blow," Erika said.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Chizuko said. "The only thing it could have been is that Epipen, **the one that Yamato stabbed him with!** "

"How'd this end up coming back to me again?" Yamato said. "I injected that **after he fell to the floor** , remember?"

"T-t-that d-doesn't m-m-matter!" Kumi said. "I-it h-h-had to b-be the p-p-pen!"

"I hate to say it, but Kumi's right," Taro said. "If the soup wasn't responsible, then **the epipen had to be the cause of death**."

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I proclaimed._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Monokuma File #01_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"The epipen can't be the cause of death!" I said. "The Monokuma File says that due to vomiting, the cause of death has to be related to something that he consumed."

"Something he consumed?" Seita said. "I thought you just said the food wasn't poisoned, so now you're saying it is?"

"That's not what she's saying, Seita," Samuru cut in. "She's saying the thing that was in his food wasn't poison, of course."

"So, if it was not the poison as you suggest, what was truly responsible for Hisoka being taken before his prime?" Daigo asked.

"It is whatever was in his soup, the brown particles in there," I answered.

"The brown particles in his soup?" Jitsuko replied. "Do you mean the same ones you mentioned earlier."

"Precisely," I said. "I think whatever they were, they caused the swelling and vomiting which ultimately led to Hisoka's death."

"So, they're poison? Why didn't you just say so!" Chizuko said. "Now we're back to where we fucking started!"

"Not yet," I said. "There's still another alternative!"

"Like?" Hoshi said. "If it kills someone after you eat it, it's probably fucking poison. That's just basic knowledge."

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: HANGMAN'S GAMBIT

In the Hangman's Gambit, it is up to you to decipher the significance behind a piece of information by puzzling together what you think describes something in the case. The letters in the angram are in **bold** , and can be used multiple times provided that the letter count next to it is filled. The resulting word should answer the question above the angram. If you wish to solve these yourself, then try to be careful when scrolling down a Hangman's Gambit, as often the answers will be hidden beneath with upside down text. If you don't wish to do these, feel free to skip them, as the word required will generally be said directly after the sequence. Letter Boxes (Also known as these: "█") will demonstrate the amount of letters in each individual word, and spaces between two words will be shown by a dash symbol.

* * *

 _ **HANGMAN'S GAMBIT**_

Question: If Hisoka wasn't poisoned, then how did was he killed by his soup?

 **X-S-P-A-N-L-Y-I-H** , 11 Letters

Letter Boxes: █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █ █

* * *

sıxɐןʎɥdɐuɐ :ɹǝʍsuɐ

 _"Of course!" I said to myself._

* * *

"The cause of death... He died because it was poisonous to him, but it wasn't poisonous to all of us," I said.

"What are you talking about?" Sora asked. "If it's poisonous to one person, wouldn't it be poisonous to everyone?"

"He didn't die from poisoning," I said. "He died from anaphylaxis."

"Anaphylaxis?" Akemi said. "So, he died from an allergic reaction to whatever was added to his soup?"

"The obvious question then becomes how exactly his soup was laced with the brown allergen," Samuru said.

"Now just hold on a second," Yoshimi interrupted. "What exactly is Hisoka allergic to?"

"Hisoka has a nut allergy," Jitsuko said.

"Wait, how do you know that?" Goro inquired. "Isn't that relatively suspicious?"

"Hisoka told everyone who was on cooking duty, to prevent something like this from happening," Jitsuko said.

"Well, it seems pretty suspicious to me," Goro said. "It's too early to tell for sure, but you're obviously suspicious."

"Durlahn!" Kiyoshi exclaimed in order to grab our attention, and signed something out to Kenji.

"Um, Kiyoshi says that... we can't jump to conclusions on this," Kenji said. "It's too early to distrust our friends, we must believe in each other until reasonable proof says otherwise."

"Reasonable proof?" Samuru said. "I think the dead body in the hall's pretty reasonable proof, Kiyoshi."

"I agree with Samuru," Goro said. "Perhaps we could trust one another while we were all standing tall, but now we're not even all standing. I believe in my own innocence: that's the only thing I know for certain."

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Wake Up with Nuts Bar  
\- Hisoka's Inventory  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- Yamato's Testimony

* * *

"So, the cooks **knew about Hisoka's allergies?** " Erika said. "And this was because **they were informed by Hisoka.** "

"Yeah, that's right," Mayu said. "Does that make us look suspicious?"

"No shit it makes us look suspicious!" Hoshi said. "I mean, we just **painted a fucking target on our backs!** "

"Was there any way that somebody outside the group of cooks might know about Hisoka's allergies?" Akemi asked.

"We were sworn to secrecy on it, but if someone were to locate the Allergen Information Chart outlining the various reactions of the group, I have no doubt that **anyone could have learned of his allergies** ," Daigo responded.

"Well, looks like we're back where we started again," Kotaro said. "Shit, we're going around in circles here."

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I stated._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Yamato's Testimony_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"I don't actually believe it's possible that anyone outside the cooking team could have known about the Allergen Information Chart," I said. "Just because they could look for it, doesn't mean they would unless they knew what they were looking for."

"Sorry, but could you expand on what you're saying a little?" Taro said.

"Yamato said it himself," I replied. "Hisoka hid the Allergen Chart before anyone else could find it, and only told the cooking team that it existed. It's pretty hard to look for something when you don't even know it exists, and all the cooks were sworn to secrecy."

"I did say that," Yamato said. "For that reason, I declare that only nine people knew about Hisoka's allergies - those would be myself, Jitsuko, Hiroyuki, Leiko, Daigo, Mayu, Hoshi, Iyona, and Samuru."

"I hate to doubt you guys, but just because they were sworn to secrecy, doesn't mean they would actually go through with what they said they'd do," Kenji said. "One of them could be lying, or maybe they could all be lying and have told a bunch of people."

"Hey, you think we'd just tell somebody something like that?" Leiko said. "Hisoka didn't want anyone to know because he was insecure about it. We all swore ourselves to secrecy because of it!"

"Well, that may be the case, but while none of you have told anyone - that increases your chance of being charged as the blackened, doesn't it?" Goro said. "Currently, the ten on-duty cooks since Day 1 are the only suspects, so if anybody told anyone outside their little group - then say something now."

Nobody said anything. Not Samuru, not Iyona, not Yamato, not Jitsuko, not Hiroyuki, not Leiko, not Daigo, not Mayu, not Hoshi, and certainly not the late Hisoka. For all of them, their silence was all the confirmation that was needed: the blackened was amidst that group of cooks.

"None of you, huh?" Goro said. "Well, I suppose that's all I need to say then."

"We didn't do it!" Leiko said. "None of us held ill will toward Hisoka, why would we want him dead?"

"To get out of here, of course," Samuru said. "Anyone of us could have a motive, because our very presence here is a motive. That's why you called it that, isn't it Monokuma - the Mutual Suspicion Game?"

"Ding ding ding, right on the money!" Monokuma said. "Sure, the motive video's well and good, but there's all one motive you share together - a desire to escape! That's why it's a Mutual Suspicion Game: everyone can be suspicious of you, and you can be suspicious of everyone!"

"Honestly, that's irrelevant," Ryoma said. "We still don't even know the cause of death, why are we accusing one another?"

"How can you allege that we don't know the cause of death!" Chizuko said. "Hitomi just fucking said it!"

 _"Sorry to burst your bubble," Ryoma said. "But there's more to this than meets the eye."_

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN

Rebuttal Showdowns occur when two people reach an impasse in their views of what happened. In this situation, it is up to you to demonstrate to the other person that your truth is the correct truth, using the evidence at your disposal in addition to well timed rebuttal. As in a Non-Stop Debate, the Truth Bullets (entitled Truth Blades for this segment) will be displayed at the top, and the used Truth Blade will be marked in **bold**. Potential weak points in the opposing logic will also be marked in **bold** , and the refuted statement will be marked in **bold underline**.

* * *

 ** _REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN_**

Truth Blades  
\- Autoinjector  
\- Hisoka's Inventory  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Pillow

* * *

 _"What's this all about?" I asked._

"Look Hitomi, you've got it all wrong," Ryoma said.

"The simple fact is, that while the epipen didn't work, we can assume it wasn't a reaction.

"So, if the epipen didn't work, what does that say? It means that there must be a different cause of death.

"Obviously, since the Monokuma File doesn't list the cause of death, there's no way we can tell what the cause is.

"However, we can tell for a fact that the cause of death definitely wasn't allergies."

\- Advance -

 _"Hold on, Ryoma," I said. "There could be many different explanations for why the epipen didn't work other than a different cause of death!"_

"Hitomi, don't get me wrong, you've been a great help to all of us," Ryoma said.

"But I'm afraid you have overlooked the simple fact that Yamato clearly injected the epipen as per the instructions.

"There's no denying that the epipen was administered correctly, and that **the medication was successfully injected into the thigh**.

"With that in mind, how could anaphylaxis be the cause of death?

"It's inconsistent, and thus it can be concluded that **the cause of death was not indeed anaphylaxis**.

"Sorry Hitomi, but there can be no doubt in this truth."

 _"I can cut through that!" I cried out._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Autoinjector_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"There's no doubt that Yamato administered the pen as directed, but if it worked then one of two things should've happened," I said.

"What do you mean?" Ryoma asked.

"Either Hisoka should've been able to recover from whatever was happening to him, or he should've been afflicted with tremors," I responded. "Akemi can confirm that, can't you?"

"Of course," Akemi responded. "As the Ultimate Advertising Executive, I've had to develop a trained eye in order to notice patterns in human behaviour. There can be no doubt that Hisoka did not react either positively or negatively to the medication."

"Hey, spell it out for us regular folk!" Hoshi said. "What the hell are you guys on about?"

"It's simple," I said. "Hisoka never received a dose of the medication. The epipen malfunctioned somehow, and the medication was never injected."

"Well then, I'll apologise for doubting you, Hitomi," Ryoma said. "I'm sorry, from the bottom of my heart."

"How does a life-saving medication just malfunction anyway?" Chizuko said. "Shouldn't there be a quality control or some shit when you purchase the fucking thing?"

"That's if... the failure was an accident," Hiroyuki said.

"What are you saying!?" Chizuko exclaimed. "You're saying it was planned? How!"

"I don't know, I'm just putting a theory out," Hiroyuki said. "If there really is a killer, then I doubt it'd be an accident, you know?"

"You think some fucker killed Hisoka with the thing he was insecure about!" Leiko said. "That's just a low blow, and not the good kind!"

"There's a good kind?" Kenji said, then realised, and gagged to himself.

"Even in the murder trial, Leiko?" Ryoma said. "You're disgusting. Do you have no shame!?"

"He would want us to fight, true to ourselves," Leiko clarified. "I... I owe him that, you know?"

"Hisoka and Leiko were rather close," Taro said. "If it were anyone else, I would have called it disrespectful. At the end of the day though, Hisoka wanted to make sure we stayed true to both ourselves and one another - and hell, Leiko's ribald nature is as much a part of her as my love for yellow is a part of me, you know?"

"Durlahn!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, and signed something to Taro.

"Don't worry about it," Taro said. "Hell, it's better not knowing what Leiko's talking about half the time. Trust me, I know from experience."

He gave off a warm smile which seemed at odds with the atmosphere of the trial grounds, and attempted to reassure Kiyoshi with that friendly expression that all would be well.

"Come on, you know you love me!" Leiko responded. "I'm quirky and beautiful, what's not to fawn over?"

"Ahem, back on topic," Samuru said. "How could the killer have made the epipens deliberately malfunction?"

"If Yamato was the killer, it would be a rather trivial process to prevent a successful injection," Daigo said.

"As Ryoma just said, Yamato administered the dosage as per the label," I said.

"Well then, why didn't the epipen fire off right?" Yoshimi said.

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: NON-STOP DEBATES (PART II)

Occasionally in a Class Trial, a moment may present itself where an idea that may be raised is unduly dismissed due to a lack of evidence. In these moments, it is up to you to pave the way for the truth by agreeing with the statement. Agree points will be marked with _**bold italics**_. Additionally, the point that is supported will be marked in _**bold italic underlined text**_. Just remember, bold dictates a weakness, italic dictates agreement and disagreement, and underline marks points that are engaged with. (Boy, I wish would just give us proper formatting and coloured text: but you win some, and you lose some.) Anyway, that's about enough from me for this chapter. I'll leave the rest to you.

'Til next week.

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Circular Cardboard Cutout  
\- Poison  
\- Pillow  
\- The Black Marker  
\- Electric Spice Grinder

* * *

" ** _Yamato must not have done it right!_** " Chizuko said. "That's the only thing that could explain this!"

"There are a lot of different ways for the killer to prevent it from working despite administering it correctly," Jitsuko said. "Perhaps the injection location was _**blocked by something?**_ "

"I hate to say it, but I doubt that could be the case," Daigo said. " **There is nothing at the scene of the crime or on his person that could have hindered the injector**."

" _ **Maybe the** **safety was jammed down, so the pen wouldn't fire!**_ " Sora said. "That could've been accidental, **there's no need for us to be suspicious!** "

" _ **C-could the**_ _ **p-p-pen h-have b-been a-already e-e-empty?**_ " Kumi said.

"That's stupid!" Hiroyuki said. "How the hell could anyone have emptied it in the first place **when no-one except Hisoka could touch it!** "

 _"Allow me to lend a hand!" I yelled._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Pillow_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"I think... it's safe to say that Kumi's right," I said. "And I think I know what happened..."

"This is most peculiar," Daigo said. "Was there a way for somebody to empty that epipen in the first place?"

"Yeah, I think so," I said. "After all, whoever did it went to the effort of hiding it."

"Hiding what?" Yamato said. "If you have something to say, share it with the court. We need to know what truly happened!"

"The pillow... the killer discharged all five epipens into the pillow in the storeroom," I said. "That's what... that's how... that was how they killed him."

"Ooh, this is getting tense!" Monokuma said. "You guys getting a little hot in here? I'll open a window or something if you want! I can get you a nice cold milkshake as well, I hear they bring all the boys to the yard. AHAHAHAHAAAA!"

"We may have wanted to run from the truth for a while now, but there can be no denying it with this..." I said. "Hisoka was murdered in cold blood, and the killer is trying to get away with it!"

The courtroom was struck with a dead silence. Hopeful belief turned to dejection and despair as the truth sank in, and the atmosphere in the room became grim. It was not the sort of despair that resolved to fail, but rather the grief that brought forth the drive to persist, as if to spite adversity itself. Despair, hope: they're not as mutually exclusive as one might think. It is utter despair that births the strongest tenacity, giving rise to a hope capable of reshaping the very planet, and it was at that moment that such willpower surged through the courtroom.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: The first part of the trial has arrived! Well, I hope you enjoyed it. The trial chapters are likely going to be slightly longer in length per chapter, and for this first case there are about five trial chapters (not including the vote and execution). There's not really much of importance to note off at the moment, but this should start confirming and or disputing a few theories that some of you might have had about this. There's still a fair way to go though: anything can happen in a class trial._

 _Anyway, if you get the chance, let me know what you think about this first trial part. Also, feel free to take guesses now at the poll._


	19. Chapter 1-17: Acrimonious Bias

Silence hung over the room for a while. Each person in the courtroom struggled with that internal anguish of knowing that Hisoka's death was not accidental, and that a murderer was in our midst: with the exception of one. Monokuma, with his typically malicious grimace of amusement stretching across the dark portion of his face, was as unfazed as ever. He had known the whole time.

"We... we have to continue this trial," Kenji said. "I want to know who... who could possibly be responsible for this?"

"Kenji's right," Yamato said. "The truth may be harsh, but we have to embrace it either way. We can't feign ignorance about something like this, the person responsible must bear the weight of their acts!"

"How did they do it though?" Mayu asked. "If they did indeed find a way to avoid the rules and modified Hisoka's property, what could they have done?"

"Not to mention, we can't do jack all until we know when it all went down," Hiroyuki added. "When the hell were those pens rigged up?"

"There's also that weird shit in the bar," Hoshi said. "Maybe that has something to do with all this as well!"

"Before we start, if the inventory room is involved, I want to ask Monokuma something," Yona said. "I want to know, what would really happen if the killer was on Purple Team?"

"Oh, if the killer or the victim are on the off team, then I simply can't let that blackened get away!" Monokuma said. "Rules are a sanctimonious thing, which mustn't be bent... except when I'm the one doing the bending, you know!"

"So, is it fair to state that the trial would still continue, even if the killer was on Purple Team?" Yona asked.

"Of course!" Monokuma said. "If we just skipped over a trial, this whole franchise would go down the drain, you know? The trial will continue, and only at the end will the truth be revealed. Either way, you don't have to worry - if the killer was on Purple Team, you could just cast your votes now and get out of this whole thing scot-free!"

"If that's the case, I believe that the culprit in this case could be Samuru Mori, and that it is possible that Hisoka Arai was aware he was being targeted," Yona said.

"You believe me to be the culprit?" Samuru said. "In that case, suspect away. If I really intended to murder somebody though, I assure you that it wouldn't be in a roundabout way like this: not that you could understand that, of course."

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- Hisoka's Inventory  
\- Moments Leading up to Death  
\- Bar Restriction

* * *

"You mean to indict me?" Samuru said. "On what basis do you think I'd just throw away my life willingly in the hopes of committing murder."

"It's of no secret that you've been glued to that television recently," Yona replied. "I think you have a secret that you'd like desperately to carry to the grave, **and committed murder to hide it**."

"Oh? So you think I planned to kill him in order to hide information?" Samuru stated. "How stupid, _**I have nothing to hide**_."

"So, why was the locker you owned circled in black marker then?" Yona said. "There can be no doubt that it's an attempt to point out the true culprit, **by the victim himself!** "

"You are truly delusional," Samuru said. "How could Hisoka have been aware of something like this? There were _**absolutely no signs that Hisoka was aware of the events leading to his death**_."

 _"Allow me to lend a hand!" I said._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Moments Leading up to Death_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"I have to agree with Samuru here," I said. "There's no indication that Hisoka knew anything before he fell to the floor. In fact, Hisoka was acting the same as usual."

"He could've known," Hiroyuki said. "The best leaders are easily capable of disguising their true beliefs, and there is no doubt in my mind that Hisoka was a capable leader."

"Yeah, he could've just hid it!" Hoshi said.

"Hold on a moment, we can't jump to snap judgements here!" Yamato said.

"It appears relatively clear who the true murderer is, this is no 'snap judgement'," Daigo said. "I also will support their claim, Samuru's account must stand to scrutiny in light of this evidence."

"I'm with you," Leiko said. "I want to find out why he really did it, and then I want him to find out how much pain a lady like me can dish out with her bare hands!"

"Don't you dare accuse nii-san of this!" Seita screamed. "My brother would never do such a thing, you just don't understand! Stupid! Stupid! You're all stupid!"

"Then prove it," Yona said. "Your brother has been a egotistical and narcissistic prick ever since we got here, and all he's done is tell us all how much he distrusts us. How can I trust that he wouldn't do such a thing? I can't, none of us can. I'm not even sure he could trust himself."

"You take that back!" Seita yelled. "He's four times better than anything you could hope to be!"

"I hate to say it, Seita," Taro said. "However, the evidence does point to your brother, and he has not tried to make a defense supported by evidence. I agree with everyone else."

The courtroom atmosphere soured as suspicion fell on Samuru. The hostility that had built up as they pursued the murderer had now become full throttle, as all the ardent fury that had once been directed toward a faceless killer was now directed toward a flesh and blood human, and the members of the court pursued a single-minded goal of indicting Samuru as the killer. Not all of us however were among that number. Though Samuru refused to stand for himself, Seita readied himself to refute what the courtroom had become so focused on. Additionally, Yamato refused to blindly accept that Samuru was the murderer. Finally, I myself couldn't bring myself to believe that Samuru was the murderer - the evidence suggested otherwise.

 _"You're responsible for this, aren't you!" The members of the court said in unison._

 _"No, that's wrong!" I proclaimed, and Seita and Yamato then joined me. "There's more to this than meets the eye!"_

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: TRILATERAL STANDOFFS

It appears that everyone in the courtroom seems convinced of one person's guilt, but you have evidence that suggests otherwise. In order for truth to prevail, you must face all three teams head on and convince them of that person's innocence using evidence to refute their points. These are not too dissimilar to "Mass Panic Debates" from V3, except luckily you don't have to deal with these alone, and there's less truth bullets. Usually, two other people will serve as "team representatives". Your team will be allocated three truth bullets, and in order to succeed you must fire each truth bullet into the correct statement to refute a team's argument. Say that Orange Team makes an argument and you intend to refute it with Truth Bullet 1, you will not be able to use Truth Bullet 1 to refute either Purple or Green Team's arguments. It may seem complicated, and that's because it probably is, but it should be easier to understand in practice than theory. Similar to before, weak points will be marked with **bold text** , and refuted weak points will be marked with **bold underline text**. The Truth Bullet used will be listed at the end of the section, as per usual.

* * *

 ** _TRILATERAL STANDOFF_**

Truth Bullets  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- Moments Leading up to Death  
\- Hisoka's Inventory

* * *

 **Hitomi Itou vs. Purple Team**

"Come on Hitomi, let's face it," Chizuko said. " **Samuru's been out to get us all from day dot** , he's naturally suspicious."

Samuru remained silent, and appeared reticent and deep in contemplation as he stood at his podium.

"I don't want to distrust anyone," Kenji said. "But Samuru is plenty mysterious, and has threatened us on multiple occasions."

"You cannot deny that **the message is definite proof** ," Mayu said.

"Hisoka must've knew his death was coming," Kotaro said. " **He left that message behind because he knew he was going to die!** "

Kiyoshi signed her statement out to Kenji, who then interpreted it for her. "Kiyoshi... **really doesn't know what to think**."

"I'm sorry Kiyoshi, but the truth has been presented before you," Jitsuko said. "You should think of Samuru as an enemy who trampled on our trust. **That is what the evidence suggests.** "

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I said._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Moments Leading up to Death_

* * *

 **Seita Mori vs. Green Team**

"Seita, I understand your concern, but there's no doubt about it," Iyona said. " **Your brother killed Hisoka Arai**."

"I am obliged to protect and ensure that no harm comes to you all," Erika stated. "In all that is fair and reasonable, I implore you to accept that **your brother was the one who rigged the epipen to fail**."

"H-h-he's a b-bully!" Kumi said. "K-kids like h-h-him... **a-always h-h-have p-plenty t-to h-h-h-h-h-h-hide!** "

"I must allege that Samuru appears to be the most apparent murderer," Daigo noted. "It is clear from what has been stated that **Samuru must have killed Hisoka by planting the allergen in his soup.** "  


"The odds are stacked against him," Sora said.

"This is the end," Ryoma said. "The true culprit, **the one who planted the poison and killed Hisoka, is Samuru Mori.** "

"I'm going to tear him limb from limb," Leiko said. "Trust me when I say **there's no way he'll enjoy what I'm going to do to him when this is over** **!** "

 _"I will not accept that!" Seita exclaimed._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Mayu's Testimony_

* * *

 **Yamato Kaga vs. Orange Team**

"Samuru's lying through his teeth," Hiroyuki said. "Samuru is **the only one who could've done it!** "

"I hate to say it, but the **vast majority of evidence does point to Samuru** ," Akemi said. "He was on kitchen duty on the day of the murder, so he could've **used a shotgun approach and put** **a lot** **of allergens together to make him react**."

"If he did that, **he wouldn't even need the Allergen Information Chart!** " Yoshimi said.

"The case against Samuru **leaves little room for doubt** , I'm afraid" Goro said. " **He was on kitchen duty at the time of the murder** , after all."

"Well, I'll let you decide, Yamato," Noriko said. "But in a court like this, truth is power: remember that."

"There can be no denying it! **Hisoka must've circled Samuru's Locker!** " Hoshi said. "He did it in order to indict the real killer, and show us the truth!"

 _"That logic is far from sound!" Yamato stated._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Hisoka's Inventory_

* * *

 _"No, that's wrong!" We cried in unison. To us, in that moment, the truth had become clear._ **  
**

* * *

 **\- TRIPLE BREAK -**

* * *

"I don't believe Samuru could've been the one to kill Hisoka," I said. "After all, Hisoka showed no indication that he was paranoid, leading me to believe he couldn't have been suspicious about something happened."

"Not to mention, my brother didn't even set up breakfast on the corn-flake morning!" Seita added. "There's no way he could've been able to execute the murder, he didn't even know about the allergens!"

"So? What about Akemi's theory on the Shotgun Approach?" Goro said.

"There was only the brown particles in Hisoka's soup," Yamato said. "Besides, Hisoka wasn't the one that circled the locker. After all, the mark on the birthday card proves it."

"The mark on the birthday card?" Yona asked. "How does that prove it?"

"There was a small black dash marked by a marker on Hisoka's birthday card in his locker," Yamato said. "I suggest that the reason for this dash was because the person who circled the locker door..."

"They what?" Iyona asked.

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: QUESTION TIME

I really shouldn't have to explain this, but since I've explained everything else up until here I may as well do the honours. The question is marked in _italics_. The correct answer is marked in **bold**. All the other explanations are real long, so I feel like this is a tidbit of an anticlimax, but whatever. You can be the judge of that.

* * *

 ** _QUESTION TIME_**

 _Why did the person who wrote on the locker mark the card?_

\- To Show their Appreciation for Avant-Garde Art  
\- **To Test the Ink**  
\- To Leave behind a Message

* * *

"It was to test the ink," I said.

"I know, I was getting to that," Yamato said. "Anyway, if that's the case, the person who did it cannot logically be Hisoka. There's no way that Hisoka would casually streak pen down the only object connecting him to his family outside."

"If that is the case, then who did circle Samuru's locker, and for what purpose did they do it for?" Daigo said.

"It would be impossible to tell at this point," Yamato said. "Before that, I think we need to look back at what happened in the Inventory Room, and when the killer rigged the epipens to fail."

"Hold on, we've been here for three days!" Chizuko exclaimed. "They could've done it at any time, and all of us entered there at some point. How the hell are we supposed to tell when it happened!?"

"Well, we narrow it down of course," Noriko said. "We're looking at this the wrong way. Instead of trying to work out who entered when and sifting through alibis for everyone here, how about we look for times when we can be sure of suspicious activity with regard to the inventory room, and interrogate those without alibis."

"Suspicious activity?" Kenji said. "Was there anything like that?"

"If we talk about it, we'll find out, won't we?" Noriko said. "We need to interrogate the possibility, we need to investigate."

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- Brass Monokuma  
\- Bar Restriction  
\- Iyona's Testimony

* * *

"Does anyone know when they first saw anything suspicious?" Noriko said. "Maybe that marking on the locker?"

"The Number 5 was definitely circled sometime **before the morning of the second day** ," Hoshi said. "I saw it when I went to get my shit!"

"Yeah, it was definitely marked when I grabbed my hat," Yamato added. "Did anyone see it **earlier than that?** "

"I went in there **slightly before dinner** ," Noriko said. "It was **marked at that point**."

"You're saying it was marked on the first day?" Seita asked. "But how could it be? We were all running around, there could be _**no way** **for someone to occupy a room for that long without anyone noticing!**_ "

"Did anyone notice?" Hiroyuki said. "No?"

"In that case, we have to draw the conclusion that **there were no strange occurrences on the first day with regard to the Inventory Room** ," Noriko said. "Well, bummer. If no one comes forward, it looks like we'll have to give up here."

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I cried._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Iyona's Testimony_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"Iyona, why haven't you said anything yet?" I asked.

"Me?" Yona replied. "I..."

"Iyona, I know you can help us," I said. "Please, we need you."

"I..." She started, then sighed before continuing to recant her events of the first day. "On the first day, I did go to the Inventory Room at one point to pick up my own belongings. When I went initially, the door was locked, and when I returned fifteen minutes later it was unlocked. The bizarre part though was when I got inside: there is no lock on the inventory room door."

"So, that's why you didn't want to tell us," Goro said. "Although I don't doubt you Iyona, you mentioned something like that on the first day after all."

"For now, Iyona, can you tell us whether the circle was there at that time?" Yamato said. "This could prove potentially vital to the case."

"If I recall correctly, I... I think so," Iyona said. "In retrospect, there was no way for Hisoka to have been suspicious that early on. I am sorry for doubting you, Samuru."

"Don't be sorry," Samuru said. "I wasn't expecting the grandest intuition from you anyway."

"Geez, way to take an apology, prick..." Iyona said.

"Anyway, how the hell was the Inventory Room Door locked in the first place?" Taro asked. "How do you lock a door with no lock?"

"By pulling real hard and getting it stuck, I suppose!" Yoshimi said.

"How about we ask Leiko?" Hoshi said. "Isn't she nicknamed Little Miss Lockpicks for a reason?"

"Hey, you're the only one who calls me that!" Leiko said. "And what makes you think I have any bright ideas? I open doors and install locks, I don't just lock doors without locks, that's not how it works!"

"Really?" Hoshi said. "You're an Ultimate, aren't you? Don't you guys have real mystical powers and shit?"

"Of course not!" Leiko said. "Why the hell would you think that? I'm a perfectly normal girl, except in..."

"Don't even try it," Hoshi interjected.

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Brass Monokuma  
\- Dolly  
\- Autoinjector  
\- Marker  
\- Electric Spice Grinder

* * *

"So, leaving Leiko's profanity aside, we need to discern how exactly the door to the Inventory Room was locked," Daigo said.

"Hey, maybe the door handle was _**tied shut with something?**_ " Yoshimi said. "That way, the door wouldn't open, even if it wasn't locked!"

"That's impossible," Noriko said. " **Both** **doors open inwards into the Inventory Room.** "

"Hold on, is it possible that the door was _**barred from one side?**_ " Taro said. "If there was a long sturdy object, it would be easily possible to bar the room shut."

"There was **nothing like that at the scene** ," Yamato noted. "However, thank you for your input, Taro."

"I believe that I may have the answer. It may have been _**blockaded by a heavy object**_ ," Goro said. "In that case, the door would open inwards."

"What sort of object do you envision?" Daigo asked. "If it were heavy as you assert, there would be **no possible way of transporting it to the room** , but if it were light it **would not be able** **to block the door.** "

 _"Allow me to lend a hand!" I yelled out._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Brass Monokuma_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"I think Goro might be right," I said. "There is still a possibility that the door was blockaded, and if the object was heavy enough it would be virtually indistinguishable from a lock."

"But you cannot deny that there is no method of transporting such an object to the room without raising attention," Daigo said.

"I cannot deny that," I said. "Unless I can deny that the object needed to be transported there in the first place."

"What are you talking about?" Hoshi said. "Did they just make it appear or some shit?"

"No, it was already there from the beginning," I replied. "I'm talking about the Brass Monokuma sitting in the corner of the room, where we found the pillow that was used to rig Hisoka's epipens."

"That heavy statue?" Hiroyuki said. "How the hell could they have moved it there though?"

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: PRESENT EVIDENCE

The used Truth Bullet will be denoted at the end. Shit, this one's even more underwhelming than the Question Time explanation.

* * *

 _ **PRESENT EVIDENCE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Monokuma File #01  
\- Poison  
\- Last Meal  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece  
\- Moments Leading Up To Death  
\- Hisoka's Inventory  
\- Yamato's Testimony  
\- Wake Up with Nuts Bar  
\- Hisoka's Spot  
\- Seating Arrangement  
\- Autoinjector  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Bar Restriction  
\- Brass Monokuma  
\- Pillow  
\- Dolly  
\- The Black Marker  
\- Electric Spice Grinder  
\- Iyona's Testimony

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Dolly_

* * *

"What about the Dolly?" I asked.

"The dolly?" Ryoma asked. "Now that you mention it, didn't Monokuma say that the Dolly had been there since the start?"

"No, didn't he say that it had been there since the first day?" I replied.

"That's right!" Monokuma said. "It's been there since day 1, I can say that with confidence!"

"Monokuma, can you say with confidence that it has been there from the beginning?" I asked.

"Puhuhu, looks like you're catching on quick," Monokuma said. "It'll be great to see you fall apart."

"Answer the question, Monokuma," I said. "Was it there from the beginning?"

"Well, I'm afraid that a certain someone doesn't want me to answer that, you know?" Monokuma said. "Since they played it by the book, I've got to respect their wishes, you know?"

"You're willing to admit that the murderer was not on Purple Team?" I asked.

"You scratch my back, I scratch yours," Monokuma said. "And trust me when I say I'm good at back-scratching, I've got bear claws after all!"

With claws like those, he'd probably tear me apart rather than help me out, but I didn't say anything.

"Well, if that's the case, then I think it's important to note that the members of Purple Team aren't responsible for this," Samuru said. "And also, that the person responsible likely brought the dolly to the scene at some point on the first day, and stored it above the pigeon-holes hoping that no-one would realise that it had spontaneously appeared."

"Well well, it looks like you figured it out: and I didn't even have to tell a soul!" Monokuma said. "I can't obstruct the cause of justice after all, but you Ultimates nowadays sure do catch on quick!"

"You're the embodiment of injustice," Samuru said. "What are you on about?"

"Aww, you're making me blush!" Monokuma said. "Anyway, stop taking so long! I've got to have my beauty nap, you know?"

"As if we'd take orders from you!" Hoshi said.

The gun barrel on the Exisal began to spin up, and so we took orders from Monokuma as we had been.

"Alright, so I suppose we don't have any other option," I said. "I think we should address the objects found in the bar, and whether they were related to the murder in any way."

"You mean the marker and the spice grinder?" Yamato said.

"Yeah," I replied. "We have to analyse the possibility that they might have been used in this case."

"The Spice Grinder was found smashed to pieces in the Bar, right?" Seita said. "Also, that marker was found beneath it."

"Yeah, but how the hell could they get there?" Chizuko said. "There's no way for those things to be in the bar if someone killed Hisoka, they can't be relevant to the case!"

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- The Black Marker  
\- Yamato's Testimony  
\- Bar Rules  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece

* * *

"The Black Marker **cannot be related to the murder if it was in the Bar** ," Daigo said. "That is an undeniable truth, I'm afraid."

"T-there's n-n-no w-way f-for the **m-m-marker t-to b-be o-outside the b-b-bar** ," Kumi said. " **I-it c-can't b-b-be u-used!** "

"The person in the Inventory Room had to carry the marker into the bar in order for it to be used," Goro said. " **If the person couldn't get into the bar, neither could the marker.** "

"That means... the marker must have **been there from the very start** ," Kenji said.

"It seems we shall have to conclude that the **marker is of no relevance to this case** ," Daigo said. "How unfortunate."

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I exclaimed._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Bar Rules_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"Hold on a second," I said. "The Bar Rules state that no person can enter the bar during daytime, but it doesn't say anything about objects entering the bar."

"What are you trying to imply?" Hiroyuki said. "You saying that the object could've been put in there without anybody even entering the room? That's impossible!"

"Not really," I replied. "Can anybody tell me which way the door opens?"

"It opens into the inventory room, and opens to the right side. It can open to about a 160 degree angle due to the way the hinges work," Noriko said. "Looks like someone's beginning to understand, eh?"

"Yeah, I think so," I said. "If it opens into the Inventory Room, then they could've opened the door to the Midnight Bar without crossing the threshold. There's no rule about objects crossing the threshold, so it wouldn't result in death by Exisal. They could've been thrown!"

"There is an issue with that theory though," Daigo said. "The way the Electric Spice Grinder was found, it had definitely collided with the wall on the inside of the room."

"I noticed that as well, there was a mark on the wall just above the Spice Grinder's impact area," Mayu stated.

"It had to have been thrown from the inside of the Midnight Bar, straight at the wall!" Hoshi said. "That's what it looked like!"

So, if that's the case, then how could the killer have got the Electric Spice Grinder into the room from the outside and made the mark on the wall? I suppose I wasn't truly as equipped for this as I had first thought, I had gleaned over that important piece of evidence and missed it entirely. But now... I cannot fail. I have to show them what truly happened, and how the culprit launched the Electric Spice Grinder into the Midnight Bar's wall from inside the Inventory Room!

* * *

 _ **HANGMAN'S GAMBIT**_

Question: How was the Electric Spice Grinder propelled towards the Midnight Bar wall by the person inside the Inventory Room.

 **H-O-R-S-E-M-A-T** , 10 Letters

Letter Boxes: █ █ █ █ █ █ - █ █ █ █

* * *

ssoʇ-ɹǝɯɯɐɥ :ɹǝʍsuɐ

 _"Of course!" I said aloud._

* * *

"They used the cable!" I said. "They swung the Spice Grinder around by the cable like a hammer toss ball, and made sure that a portion of the cable struck the doorframe," I said. "If they did that, the spice grinder would be driven into the wall by momentum, and impact it! With this, we have to conclude the truth... one of us could've got the objects into the room, and if they were used in the murder - someone who had access to the Inventory Room for an extended period had to be the murderer."

"Not yet," Sora said. "That theory's too outlandish."

Sora spoke with a certain gravitas, the words emerging from his mouth ensnaring the room. Those were the words that everyone wanted to hear; that we couldn't have done it. When he said them, he spoke with power and conviction.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTE: Geez, you have no idea how hard it is to write one of these on a Samsung Galaxy, even if it is at the very least possible. Anyway, I figured I'd just drop a spontaneous update. Since all the trial chapters and the Post Trial material has been finalised, I'm now going to be uploading Tuesday and Friday. It's quite difficult for me to upload on Monday as I originally planned, thus I've decided to do Tuesday instead. I will state though that no-one has presently given me a theory pinning the correct culprit: that should at least give a few of you an idea of who to suspect._

 _Anyway, if you're enjoying X1 thus far and haven't done so already, why not consider chucking us a favourite? It's up to you if you want to, but someone like me always loves an ego boost, y'know?_

 _That's all from me for now. Thanks for your continued patronage, and I look forward to the friday upload coming up. It's a scrum debate, boys and girls: those are indeed a thing in this since I'm drawing inspiration from V3._


	20. Chapter 1-18: Idealistic Hope

Everyone glanced over at Sora, who had been relatively quiet for most of the trial. He was looking dejected, but intent as he raised his head and glared at the bear in the chair. "All this time, Monokuma has been playing us like a deck of cards, getting us to distrust one another and cower in fear," Sora said. "So, how about we play his game, and expose him for the monster he really is! Monokuma is the murderer in this case, and he's trying to pit us against each other as part of his sick gambit!"

Kiyoshi signed something to Kenji, and Kenji nodded.

"I have to agree with Kiyoshi," Kenji said. "We shouldn't distrust our friends, who we've worked so hard to get to know."

"Something seems off," Yamato said. "I hate to say it, but I doubt that Monokuma could be the killer."

"Well, he is the only one of us with such a shit grasp on the idea of death," Chizuko said. "It's gotta be him!"

"Your only argument is that?" Samuru said. "There is more evidence pointing to a human culprit than an animatronic one."

"I... agree with Nii-san," Seita said. There was hesitation in his voice, perhaps he did not wish to really say anything on the matter.

"Are you seriously going to doubt your friends over a homicidal plushie?" Hoshi said. "You're fucking idiots."

"Hold on Hoshi," I said. "We can't just jump into this, we need to look at the evidence around it!"

"There's nothing that disproves Monokuma could be the culprit," Hoshi said. "Bam, case closed!"

"T-that's n-n-not c-case c-c-closed," Kumi said. "W-we n-n-need t-to k-know what h-h-happened!"

"Do you wish to be suspicious of us all?" Daigo asked. "Do you wish to lead a life of dissent and deceit?"

"I-it's n-n-not..." Kumi said.

"Silence," Hiroyuki interrupted. "It's not about dissent and deceit, it's about discussing this case in its entirety."

"Good grief, I apologise on Hiroyuki's behalf for his behaviour, and I feel deeply sympathetic for you being forced to stand next to such a hot-headed hedonist," Daigo said.

"Hey! No fair!" Hiroyuki said. "Why am I the bad guy now?"

"Still, there's too many loose ends in your theory to accept that Monokuma did it," Noriko said. "Show us something solid, you know? Give me hard proof: the good stuff."

"You guys don't even have anything solid to suspect anyone!" Leiko said.

"It doesn't matter, we must protect everyone," Erika said. "I can't let you suspect each other, there is no need to believe in Monokuma's allegations against us!"

"Enough, I'm not about to just half-ass this after we almost shoehorned someone into a crime they didn't commit!" Leiko said. "It's either whole ass or no ass, you know?"

"Enough with you and asses," Ryoma said. "I think we should at least explore the possibility that Monokuma committed the murder to make us distrust one another."

"I gotta side with Leiko on this one," Taro said. "As much as we might hate it, it's shapin' up to look like one of us had to have done it. Sorry, guys."

"I must beg to differ," Goro said. "Monokuma has a lot greater stake in a murder occurring than any individual in this room does."

"We can't be so sure about that," Samuru said. "After all, the Monokuma News was revealing personal information about all of the participants. It is possible that somebody may have murdered to suppress such information."

"No doubt, people do all they can to hide the truth in this world," Noriko added. "Truth is the most valuable commodity one can have, after all."

"Yeah, and the truth is that Monokuma had to do it!" Yoshimi said. "The only person capable of manipulating the scene around the storeroom, moving the statue, and knowing the allergen information is Monokuma!"

"Really?" Mayu said. "I would have thought most of it could easily be performed by a human participant."

"So much for my trust," Iyona said.

"Can't you see!" Sora said. "This division, it's what that psychotic plushie wants! If we continue to indulge in his game, we'll be played like putty in his hands. He could indict anybody with murder and then get away with it himself!"

"I... I just want... to live," Akemi said. "The bear is behind all of this... he must be the one who murdered Hisoka!"

"Don't react emotively, Akemi," Yamato said. "You're jumping the gun here."

"No, the entire time this has been that bear's goal: He's the murderer, and he's using this to split us apart!" Sora said.

 _"I dunno, murdbearer doesn't roll off the tongue that well, you know?" Monokuma said. "But if you wanna argue, then go ahead!"_

"Go ahead?" I asked. "Why would you allow us to accuse you?"

"Because that makes the game exciting, you know?" Monokuma said. "Besides, it looks like you guys are _split down the middle_. What a bear-rific moment to unveil the camp's newest addition! Mr. Monokuma and Team Danganronpa are proud to present the Tsubaki Camp's very own Morphenomenal Trial Grounds!"

"That probably sounded a lot better in your head, Monokuma," Taro said. "To the rest of us, it just sounds like a damn mouthful."

"Hey! This is the state-of-the-art in terms of dispute resolution, you know?" Monokuma said. "And I think it's a good name: I named it myself!"

"Aren't you a little biased then?" Noriko said.

"Hey, no sassbacks!" Monokuma said. "We only have room for one wisecracker on this show, you know? Keep sticking your neck out and I might just fiddle with the victim order! Anyway, since you guys seem to have taken opposite stances, I've got a real surprise for you. It starts with 'f', and it includes 'all'."

"Fuck you all?" Leiko said.

"Nice try," Monokuma said. "But it's a little simpler than that, kiddo: it's only four letters!"

"F-all?" I said.

"You go girl!" Monokuma said. "Fall! That's what you're going to do, right here, right now!"

With those words, Monokuma revealed something reminiscent of a key. He then inserted the key into a keyhole mounted in the armrest of his chair, and turned it. The otherwise unremarkable orange flame of the fire pit turned into a rainbow of colour as the key turned, with every colour visible to the naked eye recognisable in its flame. Each of us stared at one another, unaware of what was happening; then I remembered word I had said only moments ago: fall. I realised all too late what was about to happen, as the floor on each of our stands gave way beneath us, and we each fell down into what seemed like a flexible tubular ventilation pipe.

"See you at the bottom!" Monokuma said. "Personally though, I think I'll just take the stairs, ah-hahahaha!"

We didn't fall far, and though the ventilation pipes ended up slowing us down enough to break our fall considerably, we all had a hard landing. I almost smacked my head on the stand I landed on as I fell, Sora braced himself against the stand as he landed, and Hoshi almost fell over. As we landed, Monokuma descended much more gracefully, and sniggered as he watched us some of us slam headlong into the podiums we were supposed to be standing on. At that moment, I looked around. It was then I noticed that each stand had been lined up perfectly in two opposing line, with 15 stands on either side facing one another and 30 in total. It was then I noticed why we were divided. On one side of the room were those who believed Monokuma to be the culprit, and on the other were those who believed one of us had to be the culprit. Still, I had to fight: I had to find the truth!

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: SCRUM DEBATES

It looks like the court is split down the middle, and in times like these it is up to Monokuma to unveil the finest in dispute resolution. A scrum debate occurs when two groups taking two different sides on an issue have relatively equal sway, and in order to prevent a stagnant debate descending into chaos, it is up to either side to debate the contention they believe in and demonstrate the irrefutable truth behind their argument. In an argument like this, only one side can be correct, and it's up to you to win in order to show that irrefutable truth. Just like before, Truth Bullets (labelled Counterpoint Bullets for this section) will be displayed, except these bullets are not ones collected during your investigation. These bullets correspond to the arguments of your own team, and will be fired off when appropriate. Counterpoint Bullets will have the name of their speaker next to them. Additionally, all members of this debate will be shown beneath the question, along with their teams. Members in **bold** are participants in the debate, who have been assigned a point or counterpoint. Members not in bold may speak in the Crouch Bind, but not the Scrum Debate.

The Scrum Debate is split into two portions: the Scrum Debate itself and the Crouch Bind. The Scrum Debate is where the points are presented and argued, and the Crouch Bind is where both sides attempt to resist one another in order to force their opposition to forfeit. Key words in the Counterpoints will be marked in **bold** during the Scrum Debate, and these bold words should be present in some form in the opposition's argument in order to correctly refute their claims. The Crouch Bind however is a free-for-all argument fiesta where order is thrown to the dogs, and where the only thing that matters is pushing out opposing claims before they push out your own.

Huh, this one really puts the "Present Evidence" explanation to shame, doesn't it?

* * *

 _ **SCRUM DEBATE**_

Counterpoint Bullets  
\- Allergens (Kumi)  
\- Planted (Yamato)  
\- Poison (Samuru)  
\- Exisal (Yona)  
\- Monokuma File (Hiroyuki)  
\- Inside (Noriko)  
\- Bar (Kotaro)  
\- Unassisted (Leiko)  
\- Suspicious (Hitomi)

 _ **Who is the blackened in this case?**_

It's Monokuma (Left): **Sora,** **Chizuko** , **Hoshi** , **Jitsuko** , **Goro** , **Daigo,** **Erika** , **Ryoma** , **Yoshimi** , Kiyoshi, Kenji, Akemi  
It's One of Us (Right): **Hitomi,** **Yamato** , **Samuru,** **Noriko** , **Hiroyuki** , **Kumi** , **Kotaro** , **Leiko** , **Iyona** , Seita, Mayu, Hisoka (X)

* * *

"There's no way that a normal person could've lifted that statue unassisted," Jitsuko said.

"They weren't **unassisted**!" Leiko said. "They could've used the dolly, right!?"

"Monokuma could've used the Exisal to move the statue!" Chizuko said. "There's no other way to move the statue, you can't deny that!"

"The **Exisal** is too large to enter the indoor area," Yona noted. "It had to smash a window to threaten us in the dining hall, remember?"

"He's the only one who could've faked the Monokuma File," Goro said. "If anyone is suspicious, it's the person who wrote that ambiguous and worthless waste of paper."

"It led us to the real cause of death," Hiroyuki replied. "How the hell is that **Monokuma File** a waste of paper? He would've given us nothing if he was the culprit!"

"Monokuma knew about the Allergen Information, as he wrote the file," Ryoma said. "That has to be suspicious, doesn't it?"

"E-e-everyo-one o-on c-c-c-cooking d-duty k-knew ab-b-bout th-the **a-a-allerg-gens**!" Kumi said. "A-aren't t-t-they s-susp-p-picious t-too?"

"There was no way for any of us to enter the bar," Yoshimi said. "He's the only one who could've placed the marker which was used on Samuru's Locker!"

"The marker could've been thrown from the entrance to the **bar** ," Taro suggested. "Anyone with the rules could've read between the lines on that."

"He could easily have planted the allergen without anyone noticing," Erika said. "Nobody would have been able to second-guess what he was doing!"

"Nothing like that happened," Yamato said. "I think I would've noticed that bear when he **planted** it, but I did not see him touch any of the meals!"

"It is also a possibility that Monokuma was the one who placed the poison," Daigo said. "He wanted to indict Samuru, so that he could continue this farce for as long as possible."

"There was no time that Monokuma could plant the **poison** ," Samuru said. "At least one of us was watching Monokuma at any given time in the dining hall, to think otherwise would be foolish and naive."

"Monokuma said that the killer was inside the dining hall after the murder," Hoshi said. "But Monokuma was also in the dining hall, that asshole was talking about himself!"

"Monokuma is an animatronic doll, just a tool," Noriko said. "The pilot controlling it was not **inside** the dining hall, so the pilot cannot be the culprit. It has to be one of us."

"Please guys, why?" Sora said. "Why are you so desperate to be suspicious of your friends!"

"We aren't desperate to be **suspicious** of our friends," I said. "However, whether or not Monokuma is a monster for putting us through this, we owe it to Hisoka to find the real murderer!"

 **CROUCH BIND**

"Hold on, it has to be Monokuma!" Chizuko said. "Who else can it be?"

"It could be one of us, someone trying to pawn this crime off onto others!" Noriko said.

"You really think you can object with such careless reasoning?" Daigo said. "There are a virtually infinite number of ways Monokuma could be responsible."

"There are also an infinite number of ways one of us could be!" I said. "There's no way to know!"

"That can't be right..." Sora said. "Nobody would want to kill one another!"

"There's a dead man in the dining hall," Iyona said. "We can't deny that someone wanted to kill Hisoka, can we?"

"It's Monokuma, who else could it be!?" Hoshi said. "That bear's responsible for everything!"

"No, I'm not about to just blame the bear because he's bad," Leiko said. "I need to wrangle the real killer, not some fake plush piece of shit!"

"Hey, I take offense to that!" Monokuma said. "I'm the real deal, you know?"

"Yeah right," Taro said. "Your fucking eye glows with a LED light."

"I must agree with Kotaro," Mayu said. "Unless bear physiology has drastically altered to include cybernetic components, you are by no means the 'real deal'."

"It has to be Monokuma!" Erika said. "Knowing that will save us all!"

"It's not Monokuma," Samuru said. "You just want it to be, because the alternative is too painful. How pitiful."

* * *

 _"This is our answer!" Those to the right side of the room yelled in_ _unison._

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

As we stood there opposite Sora and those who had rallied behind him, they began to realise the truth. Someone here was the murderer, and blaming the bear wasn't going to present a solution.

"You're... right," Hoshi said. "There really is no way around it."

"Well, I guess we're getting closer to the truth at any rate," Goro said. "Though what a devastating truth it is."

"I don't... want to accept it," Kenji said. "But there's no alternative now..."

"I'm not done," Sora said. "I have to fight on..."

Unexpectedly, Sora stared at me as he readied himself for the argument that he intended to make. It was clear now, the battle wasn't over just yet. Sora stood confidently, valiantly, and stared at me with a piercing gaze. He had no intention of succumbing or simply accepting Monokuma's innocence in this. We may have found the truth, but I still had Sora to convince of it. He gripped his stand tightly with both hands, his fingers twitching slightly as he grasped the wooden stand with an unnatural and almost otherworldly strength not of his own physique.

 _"I won't give up hope just yet!" Sora screamed._

* * *

 _ **REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN**_

Truth Blades  
\- The Black Marker  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Hisoka's Spot  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- Autoinjector

* * *

"Monokuma had to be the one who committed murder," Sora said. "You just can't see it...

"He's deluded you into thinking you've stumbled upon the truth, when you're still stuck in his web of lies!

"He **wants you to think that one of us did it** , when he's the one who killed Hisoka!

"Snap out of it, guys! Don't fall victim to his trap, and trust in your friends!"

\- Advance -

 _"We're all trying to believe in our friends," I said. "However, we now understand that Monokuma couldn't commit this crime!"_

"You're falling into the depths of despair," Sora said. "Don't let Monokuma steer the truth away from us!

"Monokuma had to do it! **There's no way any of us could've attempted it!**

"He clearly snuck into the kitchen, and planted the allergen!

"Then, he **circled the Number 5 Locker to frame Samuru!**

"There's no doubt about it, he's the killer responsible for Hisoka's death! He's the only one!"

 _"_ _I can cut through that!_ _" I cried out._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Autoinjector_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"Stop it, Sora," I said. "There's no way Monokuma would frame Samuru if he could frame anyone. The off-team rules stipulated that if the Blackened was from Purple Team, there would be no penalty to those here. Not to mention, Monokuma already said the murderer wasn't from Purple Team. He wouldn't say something like that if he was trying to frame him."

"It must've been to frame Samuru," Sora said. "What else could it be!"

"I don't think the Number 5 Locker was circled because they were trying to frame Samuru, I think it was circled to remember how many Autoinjectors were in the Locker Room," I said. "That way, they could check back later to see whether Hisoka had taken an Autoinjector. After all, the number five matches the number of Epipens that Hisoka had. Four in his locker, and one on his person. If it was really Monokuma, the pilot could've easily saved that data in the animatronic bear's internal memory, or the pilot could've wrote it on a piece of paper in the cockpit and we never would've found it."

"No, that's a lie!" Sora said.

"Stop it!" Yamato yelled. "There's no problem with thinking a little positively, but now you're just being stubborn and stupid. You think deluding yourself into this Monokuma Theory is somehow going to soften the blow? One of us killed him, we have to accept that to find the truth!"

"No..." Sora whispered. "It... I... It's not true..."

"The evidence is there!" Yamato said. "Stop living in denial!"

"If it means I would lose my trust in my friends, then I have to deny!" Sora said. "I can't let you guys succumb to Monokuma!"

"It's over, Sora," Kenji said. "I hate to say it, but... we lost."

"It looks like Team Monokuma is down for the count!" Monokuma said. "You guys who aren't wallowing in your own misery, feel free to take the staircase opposite me back up to the courtroom."

Sora began to shed tears. They were likely the same tears that most of us had been holding in for this entire trial, and the stress of realising that one of us was the killer had simply forced them to come flowing.

"Sora, I'm sorry," I said. "It's the truth."

"The truth's... a lie," Sora said. "There's no way this is real, we're all fake, this is all just some bizarre work of fiction. There's no way this could be happening!"

"I... I feel the same way," I said. "But we're here, and we need to fight this... together."

As everyone else went upstairs, Sora and I stayed behind for a bit. The truth was, Sora didn't want to climb those stairs. To climb those stairs was to accept the reality that he had lost and the killer was one of our friends, and in honesty I empathised a little with that.

"We need to return," I said.

"Just... one more minute," Sora said. "I don't want to go up yet."

"Hey, what are you lazy sods doing!" Monokuma said. "If you're thinking of doing anything funky in the courtroom, it's gonna piss off the cleaning lady a heck of a lot! I'm just saying, I wouldn't want to be making her angry: just a heads up!"

"Get out of here!" Sora said to Monokuma. "Get away from us all, and leave us alone!"

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you," Monokuma said. "Don't leave too many stains, rocker boy!"

With that, Monokuma disappeared, and the two of us were left alone.

"If... one of us truly is the killer, and prepared this from the first day," Sora began. "That means they've been having dinner with us as if it was nothing this whole time."

"Yeah," I replied. "That probably is the case."

"I can't fight against whoever it is," Sora said. "Promise to me, Hitomi, that you'll find the real person behind Hisoka's death."

"I swear it," I said.

"Let's... go up then," Sora said.

The pair of us walked up the stairs, as tears continued to stream out of Sora's eyes. They were concrete, and appeared spartan as we walked up them. When we got to the top, we saw a bright red curtain in front of us, and opened it. The courtroom stood before us once more. We took our respective positions at the stands, and with that, all 24 of us were standing in the Class Trial room once more. There was no doubt about it, this was it. We had to piece together the remainder of this mystery now, or lose ourselves tangled within it forever.


	21. Chapter 1-19: The Encroachment of Truth

"So, it's shaping up to look like one of us really is the culprit," Yamato said. "I hate to say it though, but we have no evidence as to who, even if some of us may have our suspicions."

"Well, how about we look at what happened in the Dining Hall?" Leiko asked. "Maybe that can help us to piece this together."

"I know it's a bit late to ask, but what is Hisoka allergic to?" I said. "We should probably get that straightened out before we start."

"He's allergic to Almonds," Jitsuko said. "Does that help?"

"Almonds, huh?" I said. "Anything else?"

"Most tree nuts," Jitsuko said.

"He's got it real bad if you ask me," Leiko said. "Nuts are the best!"

Nuts, huh? For some reason, that seems oddly familiar to me...

* * *

 _ **PRESENT EVIDENCE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Monokuma File #01  
\- Poison  
\- Last Meal  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece  
\- Moments Leading Up To Death  
\- Hisoka's Inventory  
\- Yamato's Testimony  
\- Wake Up with Nuts Bar **  
**\- Hisoka's Spot  
\- Seating Arrangement  
\- Autoinjector  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Bar Restriction  
\- Brass Monokuma  
\- Pillow  
\- Dolly  
\- The Black Marker  
\- Electric Spice Grinder  
\- Iyona's Testimony

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Wake Up with Nuts Bar_

* * *

"Shit, how could I have missed that!" I exclaimed. "The Wake Up with Nuts Bar! That's how Hisoka was killed!"

"Wake Up and Nut?" Leiko said. "Sounds like an interesting time if you ask me..."

"No, Leiko, it's a muesli bar," I said. "It contains nuts, and one of them was missing from the packet in the dining hall! I'm willing to bet that whatever was in that soup was chunks of that very bar!"

"Well, if that is indeed the case, there is still the small matter of who killed Hisoka Arai," Daigo said.

"The logical conclusion to draw here was that it was one of the cooks," Iyona added. "They could've done it with ease."

"And since it can't be anyone from Purple Team, that means it is most likely Hoshi," Mayu said. However, I was not wholly convinced. If it was Hoshi, she wouldn't have to put it in Hisoka's bowl alone, she could've loaded it into everyone's meals together. However, I had no proof for this. In this class trial, proof would be the thing that separates a good judgement from an accepted truth: I had to learn that truth.

* * *

 ** _NON-STOP DEBATE_**

Truth Bullets  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece  
\- Wake Up with Nuts Bar  
\- Electric Spice Grinder  
\- Poison  
\- Mayu's Testimony

* * *

"So, the cook Hoshi **was responsible** all this time?" Daigo said.

"That is odd though," Yamato said. "With the amount of forethought put into the murder plot, **I'm not quite sure the blackened could be Hoshi**."

"Hey, **I'm not stupid** **you know!** " Hoshi said. "You take that back!"

"Well, _**obviously you are**_ ," Samuru said. "You just gave up your only avenue out of this. That was a pretty stupid thing to do."

"Well, Hoshi?" Noriko said. " **Are we right in suspecting you?** "

"Of course," Daigo said. "She was the only person excepting Mayu who could tamper with the soup: **thus, she was the only person who could plant the allergen.** "

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I said._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Mayu's Testimony_

* * *

"Yamato, if I'm correct," I said. "Hoshi wasn't the only one who could've planted the allergen, right?"

"Yeah," Yamato said. "There was a point at which anyone could've entered the dining hall, as I said. Also, Hoshi and Mayu weren't alone in cooking. Daigo, myself and Samuru were acting as waiters that night."

"So, it could've been virtually anyone still?" Leiko said. "Argh, bloody hell! That Wake Up and Nut Bar did absolutely nothing except send us on a goose chase!"

"Hold on though, Hitomi," Hoshi said. "You're saying that stale nut bar is the murder weapon? How'd he not notice that shit in his food? I almost broke my teeth on that thing!"

"Stale... Stale, huh?" I said to myself, and an idea began to form in my head.

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: SYNAPSE GAPS

This is the last minigame introduction, I swear. Anyway, Synapse Gaps is equivalent to Logic Dive or Psyche Taxi in that you have to assemble an idea of what happened in order to reach the appropriate conclusion about what happened in a case. Since we can't exactly have an action-packed mini game in a written word fanfiction, I'm going to have to rely a little on your imaginations for this one. Anyway, the essential premise is to piece together strings of information in order to understand what happened. Once the question is answered, the correct answer will be in **bold**.

* * *

 _ **SYNAPSE GAPS**_

The crime scene is visualised in your head. The brown remnants of some decimated allergen lie in the soup - the murder weapon. However, if the murder weapon truly is the Wake Up with Nuts bar, then how did it end up in this state?

 _What happened to the Nut Bar?  
_ \- It was Crushed  
\- It was Shaved  
\- **It was Ground Up**

So, if it was ground, then the obvious candidate for that was the Electric Spice Grinder. However, if that was the case, then one of the five on-duty members of the food preparation team that day should have heard the whirring of the machine and the enormous noise made by grinding the stale bar. Since both Mayu and Hoshi were together in the kitchen the whole time; in addition to Daigo, Samuru and Yamato being together in the dining hall, when was the Nut Bar ground up?

 _When was it ground up?  
_ \- Before we arrived  
\- **Before the Third Night  
** \- On the Third Night

So, it was ground up before the third day, and someone who wasn't on Purple Team put it into the soup sometime after that point. There was someone who is a suspect right now who wouldn't have known about the nut allergy at this point in time, so who can we clear of suspicion?

 _Who is no longer suspicious from the food preparation team?  
_

 **-** Yamato Kaga  
\- **Hoshi Nakashima**  
\- Daigo Yamamoto

Conclusion: The Nut Bar **was ground up** at some point **before the third night** by someone other than **Hoshi Nakashima**.

 _"The truth is in my mind's eye!" I said._

* * *

"Hoshi can't be guilty," I said. "I have proof."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Mayu asked.

"Mayu, did you hear a grinding noise while you were working away at the soup?"

"No, as a matter of fact I did not," Mayu said. "I would be suspicious if I heard something like that since we were making soup."

"I want to ask you something, Mayu," I said. "Did Hoshi leave the dining hall at any point during the cooking?"

"No," Mayu said. "Both of us cooks stayed behind while the waiters went out to tell everyone about dinner."

"Well then, I think it's safe to say that Hoshi couldn't have committed this crime," I said. "The blades were dulled on the Spice Grinder, so the Nut Bar must've been tough. The Spice Grinder would be too loud to be used at the scene without anyone noticing, they must've crushed the nuts earlier!"

"If they crushed the nuts earlier, then..." Mayu said.

"Then Hoshi couldn't have committed the crime, since she didn't know about Hisoka's nut allergy yet," I said. "That means Hoshi is innocent!"

"Thanks Hitomi," Hoshi said. "Guess I owe you one: you're a lifesaver."

"Jesus, it might not be Hoshi, but if that's the case then how the hell do we find out who the hell it is?" Hiroyuki said. "We still need a damn answer, don't we?"

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Last Meal  
\- Hisoka's Inventory  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- Yamato's Testimony

* * *

"Even if it couldn't be Hoshi who did it, she could've been helping someone else!" Hiroyuki said. "Hoshi, I hope you know that being an accessory to murder is a punishable offense!"

"I'm not working with a murderer!" Hoshi said. "Besides, if anyone could do it, **it'd be you!** "

"Me?" Hiroyuki asked. "How could I do it?"

"You were on prep for the first night!" Hoshi said. "You ran toward the inventory room and **got there before anyone else** , ain't that sus' as shit?"

"It is possible that you could have **put** **something on the broth** while no one was looking," Mayu said. "It appears my doubts about your character were well-founded after all."

"Oh, come on!" Hiroyuki said. "Don't be so cold, I'm not the killer!"

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I yelled._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Last Meal_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"The Brown Particles... weren't just on the soup, they were in the soup. However, there's no doubt about it, Hisoka's is the only soup with the Nut Bar Traces," I said. "The killer must've mixed the allergen in by some method, of which we yet don't know."

"But why would they go to the effort of mixing it in?" Goro said. "It would've been much simpler to powder the top, and there would be less chance of traces left on the bottom."

"A man's fucking dead, and you're talking about the simplest way to kill him?" Hoshi said.

"We can't afford sensibilities," Goro said. "There's a murderer among us, after all."

"Goro is right," Yamato said. "It is up to us to figure out what happened, as tact and good sense are luxuries not afforded by a place like this. With that in mind, there must be a specific reason the killer had for mixing the allergen rather than simply putting it on the top of the soup."

"Well, how are we supposed to know that?" Chizuko said. "They're a murderer, they could just be a twisted fucking weirdo with a compulsive desire to mix shit. We can't know their motive, we don't even know what they're doing let alone what they're thinking!"

"I believe... that thinking we can't is what is hindering us from reaching the truth," Erika said. "We have to believe we can: if tragedy has taught me anything, it has taught me that the best in humanity comes through belief in oneself: believe in yourself."

"So, Erika's discovered her latent talent in motivational speaking?" Samuru said. "I believe you have left your run a little late, that would've been more useful downstairs than up here, Erika."

"Still, it is up to us to find out the truth," Ryoma said. "We should probably return to the discussion at hand. How is it that the allergen was mixed in with the soup, and why?"

"Maybe they used a spoon?" Yoshimi said. "That would've done the trick, right?"

"There's no evidence of a dirtied spoon besides those on the table, and they were all clean when we commenced the dinner," Noriko stated. "I am afraid that is not the case, not in this case."

"W-w-what ab-bout the m-m-marker?" Kumi said.

"That was beneath the Spice Grinder shards, I'm afraid," Seita said. "Sorry Kumi, but if the Spice Grinder was used earlier than the start of dinner preparation, there's no way that the marker can be used to stir the soup."

"I-I'm s-s-sorry!" Kumi said.

"Don't worry, you've helped us out so much this far," Seita said.

"What if... they had no other choice," Sora said quietly.

All attention turned to Sora. Eyes previously filled with the hollow dejection of despair now shone brightly with radiant hope, as he realised the truth behind the lies of the court. "The reason the particles were in the soup, stirred without any implement to stir with. What if they'd been in the bowl the whole time?"

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Hisoka's Spot  
\- **Circular Cardboard Piece  
-** Mayu's Testimony  
\- Wake Up with Nuts Bar  
\- Moments Leading up to Death

* * *

"What are you saying, Sora?" Hiroyuki said. " **That's not possible!** "

"Hold a sec, Sora, you're saying that **the killer rigged the bowl with the nuts?** " Leiko said. "How the fuck did they do that!"

"They didn't, that's how!" Hoshi said. "I looked at each of them before I poured soup into them, I think I **would've noticed shit in the bottom of the bowl!** "

Sora did not comment, and remained silent.

"Huh, cat got your tongue?" Hoshi said. " _ **Come on, is that all you've got?**_ "

"Unfortunately, I think the conclusion is clear," Yamato said. "I am afraid that **with Sora's inability to justify what he's saying** , we'll have to rule against his theory."

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Circular Cardboard Piece_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"Wait," I said. "I think I know why you didn't see anything in the bowl, Hoshi."

"What? You saying I'm blind, huh?" Hoshi said. "Sure, I didn't get a real good look, but anyone could notice something like that. Brown shit's pretty hard to miss!"

"I know that, but I think I know how you could've missed it," I said. "Leiko, thanks. You searching around in the bin may have actually cracked this case wide open."

"Hey, look at that, huh!" Leiko said. "And my parents said I'd never amount to anything, well look at me now!"

Leiko was an Ultimate Student, so it was a surprise hearing those words echo from her lips, but she jokingly played them down as if they were nothing.

"Anyway, Leiko, do you remember that cut-out piece of cardboard you found in the garbage can?" I asked. "The one with the the string attached to it?"

"Of course I do!" Leiko said. "It was dirty on one side with soup, and on the other it was pretty clean. Although, I did find some flecks or something on it. Is that important?"

"Yeah, it's absolutely instrumental," I said. "Hoshi didn't have much time to investigate the dishes when she was pouring soup into them, so the killer used this gimmick to their advantage. They poured the nuts into the bowl, before placing the circular piece of card over it. Hoshi then poured the soup over the top, and oblivious to the piece of card, the killer left. Then, they could just remove the card using the attached string, and the nuts would soak in from the bottom!"

"So, that means..." Samuru said.

"Not anyone could have performed this murder," I said. It was clear to me now. The murderer had to be someone who could easily have walked up to Hoshi and collected a soup portion without looking conspicuous, and someone who was able to place the poison on the table. It could only be... that person.

* * *

 _ **SELECT SOMEONE!**_

1\. Hitomi Itou  
2\. Yamato Kaga  
3\. Ryoma Shiozu  
4\. Kotaro Hino  
5\. Hoshi Nakashima  
6\. Goro Maeda  
7\. Leiko Iwai  
8\. Samuru Mori  
9\. Seita Mori  
10\. Iyona Hatsukuni  
11\. Hiroyuki Kazetani  
12\. Kumi Himura  
13\. Mayu Amari  
14\. Erika Sakaguchi **  
**15\. Daigo Yamamoto  
16\. Chizuko Adachi  
17\. Noriko Yanai  
18\. Kenji Nakasone  
19\. Kiyoshi Tachibana  
20\. Sora Sendo  
21\. Jitsuko Saito  
22\. Yoshimi Isozaki  
23\. Akemi Fujioka  
24\. Hisoka Arai (X)

* * *

 _ **SELECTED: Daigo Yamamoto (15)**_

* * *

"I know who did it, I see now," I said. "It had to be one of the five on duty, with the exception of Mayu and Samuru of Purple Team. It couldn't be Yamato as well due to the poison, and Hoshi's already been ruled out because she couldn't have ground up the nuts. That only leaves you... Daigo."

Daigo's otherwise calm composure shifted to an expression of absolute mortification as he stood with his mouth agape, staring back at the court as all eyes glared in his direction. It took the room a few seconds to process those words, but once they did all the eyes once directed at me had now shifted their focus: to him.

"That theory is simply preposterous!" Daigo responded. "There is at best limited evidence supporting Yamato's innocence, in fact, is there any? Do you have some inexplicable vendetta against me, Hitomi? I thought we were friends."

"I'm not so sure about Daigo committing the crime either," Taro said. "Yamato has much more motive to off Hisoka, he was vying for leadership after all."

"Oh, ho ho hoah," Noriko said. "I wouldn't be betting money on that."

Noriko's expression changed. Before it was slightly concerned, but now it had warped into something boastful and gloating. She smiled a wry smirk as she stared at the court.

"Truth's a potent substance, you know?" Noriko said. "The right truth's more powerful than any concoction, and I've got your info right here. It looks like it's my time to shine: I know what Daigo's Seventh Day Secret was, a truth more powerful than anything imaginable!"

"What do you mean my 'Seventh Day Secret'," Daigo said. "Are you insinuating that I had some dastardly secret to be unearthed upon the final day?"

"I most certainly am," Noriko said. "I've been investigating it a hell of a long time as well, took me a while to pin down the evidence, but I got it with tireless persistence and ears everywhere. By the way, you might want to take off that boutonniere now, I'm getting real sick of hearing myself twice."

Daigo looked down at the wilted flower-pin on his lapel for a few seconds, before realising what Noriko had done. Noriko had been naturally suspicious of him since the beginning, so the second something went awry, it made sense that she'd try to listen in on him. But Daigo had gotten to the Inventory Room first. That meant...

"You get it now?" Noriko said. "I've been tailing you for much longer than you'd think, and boy you've got secrets orbiting about you like you're a dwarf star. Really helps me get my fix, you know? Knowing that which isn't known to anybody else about one of the most powerful people alive!"

"How... how did your wiretap land in my possession?" Daigo said. "My bodyguards are scrupulous and unrelenting, they should have caught onto your ploy!"

"Well, they're also underpaid," Noriko said. "I just gave them a little cut from the secret of a lifetime, you know?"

A certain madness flickered in Noriko's eyes. What was once a passionate yet rational expression turned into a maniacal face wearing a twisted smirk, warped by a lust for that which was unsaid, and driven to insanity by the ramifications. She was no villain, but at the same time she certainly wasn't the sort of person you'd trust and put faith in. In just an instant, she had changed herself entirely from a composed individual who helped guided us to truth to a deranged person lauding herself.

"I've got information on every Ultimate in this room, every student in Tsubaki who's made waves would have something they don't want said, and I collect that information," Noriko said. "Truth is the ultimate narcotic, and I'm a dealer of that beautiful drug we call knowledge: that forbidden fruit we call wisdom, that is my true talent!"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, here's a bunch of revelations within a thousand or so words. There's still more to come, but now at the very least we have an idea of where it's all headed. Originally, this chapter was intended to be a lot longer with a lot more material dedicated to Noriko, but I ended up cutting it down a bit. She's got enough to say later anyway. There's still one more trial chapter to go, which should have a few twists in store, but for now we've gotten close to understanding the truth of this case: whatever that may be. Apologies for not leaving a comment on last week's chapter, unfortunately I didn't get the chance to write up a note before posting: not that it means all much, we all know you certainly aren't brought here for my end of chapter notes anyway._

 _There's only two more chapters before the end of Chapter 1, so I guess now is a better time than ever to tell you about Hiatuses and Free Times. When I'm going on a chapter break after writing for a while (maybe a month) I'll occasionally post non-canon updates such as Profiles and Free Time Events. I'm going to post Free Times for both the victim(s) and the culprit following the completion of a case, as well as Profiles for a few characters. These will probably be in an external fiction, which I'll link once Chapter 1 is completed in the author notes, with heavy spoiler tags emblazoned all over it for obvious reason._


	22. Chapter 1-20: A Doubt Confirmed

"Hold on, hold on," Taro said. "Let's just slow down here. What the hell is happening?"

"The truth is being revealed," Noriko replied. "Daigo Yamamoto, the Ultimate Mining Magnate. You have built a company from the ground up, a mining business to surpass even your late father's. However, there's a secret about that company you don't want revealed: due to malpractice and cutting corners with safety precautions, you are accountable for the deaths of thirty-seven of your employees in several workplace accidents spanning four and a half months. Your secret: you allowed your employees to die, and barred their families from taking action by tying them up with litigation for four years. This is the toll of your success!"

"These are just tall stories," Daigo said. "As I would imagine from the woman who calls herself the Ultimate Journalist, you try and embellish everything to an unpalatable extent in order to appease simpletons. Those are not the actions of myself directly, the foremen of my mining operations are responsible for the welfare of my workers. It was the foreman who is responsible."

"Tall stories, huh?" Noriko said. "Are my stories as tall as the legal sums you forced upon those thirty-seven families, who simply wanted justice for the deaths of their loved ones? You allowed your employees to die, and information like that is all-powerful, you know?"

"Shut up, you conceited bitch!" Leiko yelled. "This is Hisoka's murder trial. I don't want rumours, I don't want secrets, I want the fucking truth! We deserve to know how Hisoka died! Shove your ego back up your ass where it fucking belongs, now is not the time for your sick games!"

"Though Leiko and I rarely see eye to eye, I must agree with her here," Ryoma said. "Noriko, you're getting off track. We're investigating Hisoka's murder, not Daigo's shady past. We need to understand whether Daigo's really capable of doing something like this."

"Yamato is equally capable," Daigo said. "We must investigate all options before we can reach a logical conclusion, correct?"

* * *

 _ **NON-STOP DEBATE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Seating Arrangement  
\- Hisoka's Spot  
\- Poison  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece  
\- Hisoka's Inventory

* * *

"We must arrive at the correct decision, and I am aware now that it is up to myself to prove my own innocence," Daigo said.

"There's no need," Noriko retorted. " _ **We all know you're guilty**_ , give up while it's still tactful."

"There is **no evidence tying me directly to this crime** ," Daigo said. "All the lunacy about the locked room and the hammer toss is mere hearsay, and **I was simply rostered on as a waiter for that night.** Had I known that Yamato would attempt murder, I certainly would not have taken the responsibility upon myself, but retrospect is a beautiful beast like that."

"You think Yamato did it?" Hoshi asked. "Why?"

"Well, I of course understand my own innocence," Daigo replied. "Thus, since Samuru was not the murderer, the only remaining suspect is Yamato Kaga. He is equally as conspicuous as I am, **there is no evidence that allows us to conclude he was unable to commit the murder** **.** "

 _"Wait, something's amiss!" I shouted._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Seating Arrangement_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"There is evidence!" I said. "Yamato was tending to Hisoka as he died. Since he was next to the body the whole time, he had no chance to place the poison at Samuru's place on the table! Yoshimi said she would've noticed the poison there, but she didn't see anything at Samuru's place until after Hisoka fell to the floor. That would rule out Yamato as the Culprit!"

"The poison may not even be related to this case," Daigo said. "Yamato could still have committed the murder, and someone else could've placed the poison."

"If they did, they would have to know about Hisoka's death prior to it happening," Noriko said. "There are very few people who would assist somebody else with murder. The only person who could've placed that poison was you, Daigo. You were on the outer edge of the group. Yamato could not have placed the poison since he was in the centre of the group, Samuru and Mayu have been cleared from suspicion by Monokuma, and Hoshi could not have known about the allergy in time to complete the preparations. Face it: you're all that remains, this is the truth of the matter."

"No, that assumption is incorrect," Daigo said. "It is equally probable that the accomplice could've been someone with a disdain for Hisoka personally. Wouldn't the gratification of that hatred be enough of a reward for them?"

"Nobody hated Hisoka, not even the murderer," I said. "There was a reason they targeted Hisoka, and it wasn't because they had a personal feud with him. It's because..."

* * *

 _ **PRESENT EVIDENCE**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Monokuma File #01  
\- Poison  
\- Last Meal  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece  
\- Moments Leading Up To Death  
\- Hisoka's Inventory **  
**\- Yamato's Testimony  
\- Wake Up with Nuts Bar  
\- Hisoka's Spot  
\- Seating Arrangement  
\- Autoinjector  
\- Mayu's Testimony  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Bar Restriction  
\- Brass Monokuma  
\- Pillow  
\- Dolly  
\- The Black Marker  
\- Electric Spice Grinder  
\- Iyona's Testimony

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Hisoka's Inventory_

* * *

"It was the only way they could commit murder without getting any blood on their hands," I said. "They didn't want to directly attack anyone, perhaps for personal reasons. That's why they struck against Hisoka's allergies - they wouldn't have to directly attack anyone. If they really had a vendetta against him, they'd have no problem with poisoning his food."

I think it's pretty clear," Noriko stated. "The reason this murder occurred the way it did was because they didn't have any reason to attack Hisoka, besides the provocations that had already been given to them by Monokuma! Daigo was the first to arrive at the inventory room, so he would've known about Hisoka's epipens from the start!"

"Durlahn!" Kiyoshi exclaimed, and signed something to Kenji next to her.

"Kiyoshi... wants us to stop fighting," Kenji said. "She says that while we're like this, we'll never be able to trust one another."

"Trust?" Hiroyuki said. "There is a murderer in this court, trust is a luxury in a place like this. Besides, why should we trust the girl who supposedly knows thirty-five languages, but can't even speak in her own?"

"How dare you!" Kenji said. "Kiyoshi is trying her best to aid us in this trial, what have you done except complain and accuse!?"

"I've contributed to discussion, that's what!" Hiroyuki said.

"You... Why... She's just trying to help!" Kenji yelled.

"Hiro, you should know better than to pick on an innocent girl who can't fight back," Taro said.

"Stop this!" Sora screamed. "We can't find out what happened if we can barely find out what everyone's saying!"

"I'm with Sora," Samuru said. "While we're distracted by this issue, we have no ability to reach a judgement on who really did this."

"But Nii-san, we can't just let him bully everyone," Seita said. "We need to do something."

"Alright, alright," Samuru said. "There's something bulging in Hiroyuki's football shorts. One more stray word from you, and I'll tell everyone what it is."

"Hey, what the hell man!" Hiroyuki said.

"Shhhhh..." Samuru said. "You should thank your lucky stars I'm even giving you this opportunity to stop prattling."

"We can't keep getting off topic," Yamato said. "The case at hand is Hisoka's death. We need to return to it, and discover whether it is possible that Daigo murdered Hisoka."

"What farcical nonsense," Daigo said. "Of course I am not the murderer! There is no evidence that ties me to this case!"

"What do you mean, no evidence?" Chizuko said. "It seems pretty clear now there's a lot of evidence pointing to you, mate."

"Did Iyona ever see who exited the room?" Daigo yelled. "There can be no allegation that I specifically am the murder while no evidence tying me to the actual crime exists!"

"It could only be you that placed the poison, the other two suspects were close to the centre of the circle," I noted.

 _"I cannot allow such lofty logic to prevail over this court's better judgement!" Daigo exclaimed._

* * *

 _ **REBUTTAL SHOWDOWN**_

Truth Bullets  
\- Monokuma File #01  
\- The Number 5 Locker  
\- Hisoka's Spot  
\- Bar Restriction  
\- Last Meal

* * *

 _"Lofty Logic?" I said._

"You mean to indict me as the murderer of Hisoka Arai," Daigo said. "I cannot let such belligerent deception preside in this court!

"There should be no doubt about it, I could not have committed this murder!

"You think I did it simply because I was one of the five members on the team? Twelve people knew about the allergens, and all of them could've entered the dining hall!

"Why do you wish to suspect me, Hitomi Itou? Have I transgressed against you in some capacity, I wholeheartedly apologise if I have.

"But that alone is no reason to suspect me as a murderer!"

\- Advance -

 _"That is not the reason I'm suspecting you," I said. "The reason is because there's no-one else to suspect."_

"Nobody else besides my good self?" Daigo said. "How about Yamato, how about Leiko, how about any of them!

"You are suspecting me simply because I **performed the charitable good deed of aiding with the preparation** , are you?

"Allow me to assure you of one thing, I could not have done it.

"In order to commit this crime, I would have to know where Hisoka was sitting prior to him entering the dining hall. **I could not possibly have known where he would sit!** "

 _"_ _I can cut through that!_ _" I cried out._

* * *

 _Used Truth Bullet: Hisoka's Spot_

* * *

 **\- BREAK -**

* * *

"Yes you could," I said. "He always sat in the exact same spot in the dining hall, after all."

Daigo began to grow clammy and irrational, as he became the centre of attention. It was appearing that he could not continue running. He had became the prime and sole suspect, and against all odds we stood facing the truth behind this case. Whether or not there was another traitor in our midst, Daigo was the one who had betrayed everyone in this room. Cold gazes fell upon him, the malign animosity laced within their glares aimed entirely at Daigo. There was nowhere for Daigo to run, nowhere to hide from the truth.

 _"No, I refuse to accept this aberration you proclaim is truth!" Daigo yelled._

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: ARGUMENT ARMAMENT

It appears the murderer has been unmasked, but someone in the court refuses to accept it. Whether or not it is the murderer or an innocent, it is up to you to demonstrate the objective truth to the class. Your statements will be marked in _italics_ , while your opponent's statements will be marked with plain text. Their final remark will be marked with **bold text**. You will have to answer the section by rearranging the four word sections beneath it into a response, and the answer to this as usual will be marked in upside-down text below it.

* * *

 _ **ARGUMENT ARMAMENT**_

"Do you mean to sully my good name with such allegations?" Daigo said. "I cannot allow that!

"This is no longer a matter of simply stating what could have happened, you are now convicting me without evidence!

"How do you mean to prove that I am the murderer! Your only proof is Mayu's testimony and the bottle of poison, which prove nothing!

"I cannot accept such balderdash. You have no evidence, you have no reason, just some misguided belief in the ramblings of a maddened journalist.

"So? What is it that makes you think you are privy to some obscured and hidden truth by listening to foolish nonsense. There's no way I could've done it!"

 _"There's no doubt you could've done it, Daigo," I said. "You're the only person who could have done it!"  
_

* * *

"What do you mean, the only person?" Daigo replied. "Do you understand who I am?

"I am Daigo Yamamoto, the Ultimate Mining Magnate. I have the Prime Minister on speed-dial! I have coffee on a Sunday with the most powerful men on the planet!

"Your inability to accept the truth will earn you a powerful adversary, Hitomi! I am not the murderer in this case, and you will only be allowing the real perpertrator to escape!

"On what basis do you suspect me? Being in a room? Was it ever wrong to help with chores? This is why I should rely on my housekeeper for this sort of thing!

"Your suspicions are baseless, Hitomi! There's nothing linking me to this crime!"

 _"Your presence in the dining hall links you to the crime, and only a waiter could've performed the trick with the cardboard piece!" I proclaimed._

* * *

"So? Look at the truth!" Daigo said. "There is still Yamato remaining to suspect, why are you dogmatically pursuing me?

"That blasted piece of card says nothing about this case, someone probably planted it in there!

"Leiko found it, after all, she could've done it to indict me and get away with the crime! It had to be her!

"She is already garbage anyway, it would not look particularly suspicious if she found something in the garbage that allowed her to get away with her crime!

"See? It was not me after all, yet you still pursue me with your relentless tenacity.

"Why do you so desperately wish to see me as the culprit!?"

 _"Because no-one off duty would be able to mix in the allergen, it would take longer than the window of time they had!" I yelled._

* * *

"So, you do not intend to reach the truth?" Daigo said. "You intend to pull us all down with your malpractice and oversight?

"That is unacceptable to me! I am the very best at what I do, I can't watch you flail about and fail to understand the truth!

"You think you could ever measure up to me? I understand the truth of this trial, and I can confidently say that I am not the one responsible for Hisoka's death!

"There is still avenues that have yet to be explored. There is the possibility of an accomplice, isn't there?

"What about the possibility that the poison was actually placed by someone in cahoots with the real murderer!

"There are still avenues we have yet to explore! We must fight for the real culprit!

 _"Nobody here would collaborate with a murderer," I said._

* * *

"That is enough, you indecisive and inconsiderate gnash-gab!" Daigo yelled. "I shall not accept your warped truth!

"You mean to dirty my untarnished image with your baseless statements and foolhardy opinion.

"You are just some hopeless student latching upon my name. You have no talent, so why do you dare to strike against me?

"I forged a business empire at the age of twelve, and I am meant to take such slander and flack from a girl who does not even know her own career path yet?

"Your opinion is worthless, your words are hollow and empty, you mean to accuse me of this crime due to your own twisted envy!"

 _"My truth is not warped," I cried. "It is you that is warped!"_

* * *

 _ **THE MOMENT OF TRUTH**_  
\- Room  
\- Rules  
\- The  
\- Inventory

sǝןnɹ ɯooɹ ʎɹoʇuǝʌuı ǝɥʇ :ɹǝʍsuɐ

* * *

" **I couldn't have done it. If I had done it, would I not attempt to dispose of that** **pillow?** " Daigo concluded.

 _"This is the truth you fail to acknowledge!" I yelled._

* * *

"Daigo, the reason you couldn't get rid of the pillow was due to the Inventory Room Rules." I said. "Possessions couldn't leave the Inventory Room unless taken out by their owner, and the epinephrine in the epipen was still one of Hisoka's possessions. Isn't that right, Monokuma?"

"Bang on!" Monokuma exclaimed. "That pillow couldn't be removed from the Inventory Room unless Hisoka himself did it! Even now, I can't let anyone go outside with it. I guess I'll amend that rule so we can get rid of the damn thing. From now on, I'm adding a new rule: the death of a participant invalidates any protections or liberties granted to them via the rules. Write that down in your handbooks, kiddos, or you might find yourself on the receiving end of Mr. Exisal's punishment gun there!"

We all reluctantly obliged, writing the rule in the "Mono-pad". Monokuma stared down at us to ensure that each and every person had written within it, before continuing on.

"So, whodunnit?" Monokuma said. "And how'd they do it? Looks can be deceiving, you know? Beneath a white suit lies a blackened heart, white and black, just like me!"

I know who did it, and I'll show everyone the truth. It's up to me now. I can't fail here!

* * *

CLASS TRIALS: CLIMACTIC INFERENCE AND CLOSING ARGUMENT

This is the crux of the trial. With this, the truth needs to be pieced together, and although you have all the right pieces they aren't quite correctly assembled. This moment is called Climactic Inference, and this is where you infer what happened in a case based on what you know about what happened. Gaps in recollection are denoted with **bold ? marks** , and these gaps are filled in by the missing events shown below the order of events. The missing event labelled (1) belongs in the first recollection gap, the missing event (2) in the second, and so on.

The Closing Argument comes directly after all of this is completed. This is a summary of everything that happened in the case, and so will contain minimal formatting if any. If you want, it's probably easier to just skip directly to the Closing Argument, but I'm including the Climactic Inference anyway just because I can, and because I'm trying to remain as true as I can to the spirit of Danganronpa.

* * *

 _ **CLIMACTIC INFERENCE**_

 **Order of Events**  
\- Culprit heads to Inventory Room with **?**  
\- Culprit Sees Epipen  
\- Culprit Leaves Scene, Then Returns  
\- Culprit Brings Three Objects With Them  
\- - **?**  
\- - The Pillow  
\- - The Dolly  
\- Culprit locked the **?**  
\- Culprit grabs Epipens, and injects them into the Pillow  
\- **?** attempts to open the door, and fails  
\- Culprit circles the **?**  
\- Culprit uses **?** to move the statue back  
\- Culprit hides pillow beneath Monokuma Statue  
\- Culprit escapes  
\- Iyona enters the Inventory Room  
\- Culprit signs up for **?** with Leiko  
\- Culprit finds out about Hisoka's allergies  
\- Culprit uses the **?** to grind up the **?**  
\- Culprit disposes of the Spice Grinder using the **?**  
\- The Following Day, Five People were on Duty  
\- - The two cooks: Hoshi and **?  
** \- - The three waiters: Samuru, the Culprit, and **?**  
\- Culprit plants allergen at the bottom of the bowl  
\- Culprit hides allergen beneath the **?  
** \- The cooks unsuspectingly pour soup on top of the hidden allergen  
\- Culprit throws the cardboard piece into the **?  
** \- Culprit places allergen-laden dish at Hisoka's spot  
\- Dinner begins, and Hisoka arrives  
\- Hisoka eats, then falls onto the floor  
\- **?** crowds around Hisoka as Yamato attempts to resuscitate Hisoka  
\- Hisoka hands Yamato the epipen, which Yamato stabs into his leg  
\- The epipen doesn't work, and Hisoka dies  
\- Culprit places the **?** beside Yamato's place at the table

 **Missing Events**

\- Hammer Toss Trick (9)  
\- Electric Spice Grinder (7)  
\- Everyone (14)  
\- Inventory Room Door with the Monokuma Statue (3)  
\- The Marker (2)  
\- Circular Cardboard Piece (12)  
\- Number 5 on Samuru's Locker (5)  
\- Sora (1)  
\- Mayu (10)  
\- Poison (15)  
\- Cooking Duty (6)  
\- Trashcan (13)  
\- Wake Up with Nuts Bar (8)  
\- Iyona (4)  
\- Yamato (11)

* * *

 _ **CLOSING ARGUMENT**_

"Hisoka was murdered in the dining hall. We all witnessed it happen, but the culprit's plot had started well before that moment," I said. "This is how Hisoka was murdered."

"The culprit first arrived with Sora in the Inventory Room, and it was there that they encountered the Epipen. As at that time they had been informed of the Seventh Day Secrets Motive organised by Monokuma, the sight of this Epipen gave them an idea.

"They left the room, only to return later with three objects: these were the Marker, the Pillow, and the Dolly. It is plausible that when Purple Team may have encountered the culprit in the hallway, he had been attempting to scout the place out so that he could make sure he wouldn't be seen with the objects while executing their plan.

"The Culprit used the third object they had brought to lock the door, as the dolly allowed them to lift the Monokuma Statue in the corner of the room without the strain or need for two people. They then barred the door with this object, preventing anybody from entering unannounced.

"They then proceeded to grab the Epipens from Hisoka's locker, and stabbed them all into the cushion which they had brought with them.

"Finally, they counted how many pens they had stabbed into the pillow, and then circled that number on the lockers. This would allow them to know when Hisoka had taken an epipen from the lockers, as they could infrequently return to the inventory to check if one of the pens had disappeared.

"Next, the culprit signed up for cooking duty with Leiko. Since the culprit knew that Hisoka had allergies, they signed up to be a chef so he could discover what those allergies were directly from Hisoka himself. After working with Leiko, they were privy to the Allergen Information Chart, and found out that he was allergic to almonds.

"Once they found this out, they then used the Spice Grinder to grind up the Wake Up with Nuts Bar," I said. "They probably used their time in the kitchen to move the goods out of the time-restricted storeroom, and then plugged in the grinder while everyone was asleep so no-one could hear the noise.

"After this, they likely disposed of the spice grinder sometime between then and the murder. Using the Hammer Toss Trick, the culprit was able to make the spice grinder smash against the inside wall without entering the room, making us believe that the spice grinder couldn't have been a part of the murder because it had to be thrown from inside the room.

"On the day of the murder, the culprit was working as a waiter with Samuru and Yamato, as well as the cooks Hoshi and Mayu. These five were tasked with making dinner that night, and their meal of choice was mushroom soup.

"The culprit however meant to make their move, and planted the allergen they had ground the night before at the bottom of one of the bowls before covering the allergen with the piece of circular cardboard. This circular cardboard had likely been retrieved from the storeroom, but served an incredibly important purpose.

"With both Mayu and Hoshi busy with their duties, they were unable to properly investigate what was at the bottom of the bowl. So, they poured the soup on top of it, oblivious to what lay hidden beneath the surface.

"As the culprit left the kitchen, they threw the cardboard piece into the trashcan: the one thing that ended up proving their guilt. With the soup in Hisoka's bowl now covering the nut bar sediment, it mixed in with the rest of the soup.

"Since Hisoka always sat at the same spot, it was easy for the culprit to place the dish at Hisoka's spot without incurring suspicion beforehand, and thus their trap was prepared.

"Hisoka arrived, along with the rest of us. Hisoka began to eat, but began to show signs of discomfort before falling to the ground. Yamato rushed over to his side, as everyone of us crowded around the fallen Hisoka, but the culprit was only on the outskirts of this crowd.

"As Hisoka died, he presented Yamato with the faulty epipen that he thought was loaded in an effort to save himself. Yamato removed the safety, and pressed it down into his leg. However, the injection had already been used, and the medication was ineffective.

"With most of us distracted by Hisoka's death in front of us, the Culprit made one final effort to shift the blame: they left behind the poison bottle at Yamato's place at the table, in an attempt to fake the cause of death as poisoning. However, since Yoshimi saw the seating arrangement before Hisoka's death, this was the fatal mistake that led to their downfall."

 _"So, this is the conclusion I've drawn," I said. "Only your secret was so drastic that you would be spurred to murder in order to hide it. I'm sorry it had to end this way, but this is the truth. So, how do you plead,_ _Daigo Yamamoto?"_

* * *

 **\- COMPLETE -**

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: So, this is the end of the trial. It's taken us a while to reach this point, with Daigo now unveiled as the first to succumb. His motivations may seem a little mysterious, but trust me when I say that Daigo is a complex character: just like all the other characters in X1. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who submitted a character, and everyone who has supported me up until this point. This has been my longest written work to date, and it's thanks to all your support that I've had the courage to continue._

 _Anyway, I have some important news to deliver: the next update will be in two days, and after that I'll be taking a break before posting the hiatus material. Th_ _e reason? I'm going away for 12 days the day after, and though I have the material ready and prepared, I will likely not have my laptop while I'm away (though I might post some reviews, idk). Anyway, unfortunately for that reason I'm going to be taking a 2 week break, but I'll be back by the 28th of Jan._

 _Thanks everyone. I'll post the final Chapter 1 segment in two days or so, and then give a link to the extra material. I look forward to it, and I hope you do as well!_


	23. Chapter 1-21: The Weight of Our Burdens

_Author's Note: By the way, I'm putting a violence and gore alert out for this chapter: a really massive gore alert. Don't say I didn't warn you..._

* * *

"I... I..." Daigo started, before silencing himself. "If that... information had gotten out, my company would have been done for. All that I had worked so hard to achieve, nullified in but an ephemeral and fleeting second."

"So you killed Hisoka, and then tried to shift the blame, eh?" Noriko replied. "You really are a piece of work."

"Say what you will about me," Daigo said. "But do understand one thing: that corporation is more important to me than my own life. The Yamamoto Mining Group is not mine to destroy, and so I cannot allow it to succumb to any such trivialities."

"You betrayed us..." Sora said. "You betrayed us all and killed someone, for the sake of some company?"

"There are some things that one must give their life for," Daigo said.

"That wasn't your fucking life to take!" Chizuko said. "You killed an innocent man, who had nothing to do with whatever problems you had, just so you could hide what you did?"

Daigo sighed. "I understand what I've done," Daigo said. "If that company falls though, then I shall be cast aside like my brother was. I cannot allow that."

"So, is it safe to say that you are confessing to the murder of Hisoka Arai?" Samuru said. "On the basis of your Seventh Day Secret, you arranged his death to prevent that information from becoming common knowledge?"

"I... yes," Daigo said. "I am the murderer of Hisoka Arai, and I will incur the penalty as a result of my actions. I do not have long, I imagine."

"Is it done and dusted, are we all ready?" Monokuma said. "Because guess what, it's _VOOOOOOOOOOTING TIME_! Each of you will now have a chance to decide who you think is the blackened. Will you make the right decision, or the dreadfully wrong one? AHAHAHAHAAAAA, this is the high octane thrill I absolutely live for!"

"Why did you really do it, Daigo?" I asked.

The crowd turned to stare at me. I had recognised the face that Daigo had shown before; it was the face of an individual who wanted to say something, but simply couldn't. Daigo wasn't telling us the whole truth, Daigo was obscuring what he truly knew about this place: Daigo was hiding something.

"What do you mean?" Daigo asked.

"That face you gave me," I said. "It's the face of a man who can't talk. Is there something you want to say, Daigo?"

"I am... not quite sure of what you want me to say," Daigo said. "I murdered Hisoka Arai... to save my company from the truth. That is all there is to it. I am a detestable, despicable, and now destitute individual."

That same face remained, unchanged. There was definitely something there, some element of pitiful resolution to his own fate, as well as a desire to take some secret to the grave. Truth is, whatever his real Seventh Day Secret was, we would not probably not discover it. Not for a long time. It was something so ingrained into him, there was something or somebody he so desperately wanted to protect that he would betray the very enterprise he had spent his life forging in order to conceal it. Whatever it was, I had no doubt it was important to him, but... he was a murderer. He had killed a man in cold blood. Why should I aid and abet in him taking such a secret to the grave?

"You murdered Hisoka..." Leiko said. "You bastard! You killed a man for the sake of some fucking faceless corporation? How could you, you're a fucking monster!"

"You... I don't know what to say," Yoshimi said. "How was something like that so important to you?"

"It... was my life, after all," Daigo said. "I had nothing else outside of it, it was my identity as well as my passion: the very thing that made me an individual in this apathetic world. When your very identity is built around something like that, watching it burn would rend your very self asunder. I could not allow it."

"There's no doubt about it," Noriko said. "This is the enlightening truth that shines upon the darkness of obscurity, Daigo Yamamoto killed Hisoka Arai using the Nut Bar! This is the irrefutable truth, and how beautiful the cathartic discovery of that truth can be!"

"Let's go, you guys!" Monokuma said. "Come on, less gloating, more voting! I've got an eleven o'clock that I can't afford to miss, you know?"

"What the hell would a bear like you be doing at eleven o'clock at night?" Samuru asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Monokuma replied. "Beary interesting things indeed, I assure you. If I went into them though, we might have to up the rating on this from T to M, and I'd hate to lose all those devout viewers! Let it be said though, the life of a duotone bear sure is a riot!"

I stared down at my stand. Each one of the lecterns were fairly typical, with the exception of a slide-up face on the top of the stand marked with the words "Push Up for Voting Slip". I did as it instructed, revealing a ballpoint pen and a slip of A6 sized light-blue coloured pastel paper. Written in scrawled handwriting, with the dots on the i's replaced by Monokuma Eyes, was one question: "Who is the Blackened?"

To me, that had become abundantly clear, but even still I hesitated for a second as I a sense of foreboding overwhelmed me.

"Kiyoshi, you've got to vote," Kenji said. "We must for now, it's the only way..."

I turned my attention over to Kenji and Kiyoshi. Kiyoshi was staring down at the slide-up drawer on her desk, unable to bring herself to do it. However, Kenji understood the mortal cost that her abstination could incur. If she refused to vote, Monokuma would likely have her executed there on the spot.

"Kiyoshi..." I said.

She stared at me, tears welling in her eyes, but unable to voice her own anguish. She had trusted us all, yet not all of us had proved capable of maintaining such trust. Who could she believe in now? How could she hold her head high?

"We'll find a way out of here," I said. "Together, all of us... for Hisoka's sake."

Kiyoshi nodded, still not entirely sure of the truth behind those words. She lifted the panel, and took the voting slip out, writing a name upon it.

"Looks like everyone's voted!" Monokuma said. "Now, cast them all into the fire-pit, and we'll get to the good stuff!"

"Into the fire-pit?" I asked. "But how will you read them."

"My evil eye sees everything," Monokuma said. "I can look two seconds into the future, you know? I'm that powerful!"

I wasn't sure how seeing two seconds into the future would help Monokuma read our votes before we threw them into the fire-pit, but I didn't question it. Everyone threw their votes into the fire-pit, one by one. Each vote cast made the fire glow the same rainbow colour it had before the floor had given way beneath us earlier. All the votes had been cast.

"Even when we know who it is who killed Hisoka," Kenji said. "It doesn't make this voting easier, does it?"

"This was never going to be an easy process," Kotaro replied. "We're trying to believe in each other, you know? Then we're made to doubt that faith: it really is a sick place."

"The votes have been collected!" Monokuma yelled. "That's 22 votes for Daigo, and 1 vote for Kiyoshi! Non-participation is a punishable offense, you know? I'll let you off the hook this once, but if you pull something like this again I might just pull you down with the murderer."

Kiyoshi was silent, staring at her feet. Her eyes were wide, as if she had seen Hell itself. She probably had: we were living there.

"Anyway, I am proud to announce that you correctly discovered the blackened amongst you!" Monokuma said. "Give yourselves a pat on the back and a round of applause, you did it!"

"Did what?" Goro said. "We've accomplished nothing, this has only sent us two-steps back."

"Found the murderer, of course!" Monokuma said. "Feel a little bit of hope for yourselves, otherwise I won't have anything to _crush_ later..."

"I guess, whatever happens, this is goodbye," Yamato said. "I'm sorry, Daigo. I'm sorry I couldn't have been there to stop all of this, I failed as a leader... I allowed this to happen. I didn't stop you."

"It is unfortunate that we all had to part on such terms," Daigo said. "I guess it was not so simple to leave behind one's past after all, in the end I am still a desperate and depraved man."

"Daigo, why?" Seita asked. "Why did you kill Hisoka?"

"In the end, I needed to hide that information," Daigo said. "However, I could not bring myself to shed an innocent's blood. Hisoka's allergies were... the only way I could avoid that toll upon my soul."

"I can't forgive you for this," Seita said. "None of us can."

"Do not fret, I am not counting on your forgiveness," Daigo said. "Instead, I want to say something to everyone here."

Attention turned to the murderer. He stood confidently, resolved to the truth of what he had done. Despite the blackness of his acts, the white of his suit made him appear almost angelic as he stood there - radiating a certain awareness.

"Trust others," Daigo stated. "It is a cynic's natural inclination to forgo friendships in favour of dubiety and deceit, do not stray down the same path I did."

"Alright, let's wrap this up!" Monokuma said. "We all know who's guilty, now let's get to the juicy stuff! It's punishment time!"

Monokuma pulled a gavel from where he was sitting, as a button raised up in front of his chair. He spun the gavel around his white hand, and slammed it down on the button in front of him. A display of a pixelated black and white avatar of Daigo appeared on it, as it was dragged off by the foot by a pixelated version of Monokuma, all against a crimson red background.

* * *

 **GAME OVER**

 _Daigo has been found Guilty._  
 _Time for the punishment!_

* * *

Daigo stared around the room, everyone staring at him as the truth of the case was revealed. All gazes fell on him, some were contemptuous, but others were more forgiving. Regardless of their beliefs though, it was Monokuma who made the final decision. A shackle made its way out from behind the velvet curtain on the opposite side of the staircase, and gripped Daigo by the foot before pulling his feet out from under him. Trying desperately to stop himself from being pulled away by the shackle, Daigo attempted to grasp whatever might be able to slow the momentum of the cuffs, but without anything to grab onto his struggle was to no avail. The shackle continued to yank him along the floor, as Daigo reached his hands out towards us before being sucked in by the maw of the ravenous red curtain.

"Whatever you do, don't watch!" Yamato screamed, and closed his eyes. However, most of us were oblivious, and our eyes simply followed Daigo. Daigo went through the closed curtain, which five seconds later opened for all to see. Daigo was sprawled on the ground behind the curtain, in a scene that appeared reminiscent of a child's diorama of a bank. He was wearing his typical suit, as well as a bag over his head. Something felt off about it all though: I would soon find out why Yamato told us to close our eyes.

A sign popped up behind the unmoving Daigo, reading "Golden Shower" with a subtitle "Ultimate Mining Magnate, Daigo Yamamoto's Execution: Executed". With it's appearance, a single coin fell onto Daigo's back. After two seconds, another fell. Then after another second, a third fell. Daigo Yamamoto remained motionless on the ground as coin after coin landed on his back, each one increasing the weight upon his shoulders by a slight amount. After fifteen seconds, it looked as if over two thousand coins had landed on his back, which would've been at least 200 kilograms. However, as if to seal the deal, it was at that moment that a giant coin with Monokuma's face was dropped through the chute, falling on its side as it made its way to Daigo's head like an executioner's axe. It surely weighed as much as the pile of coins that had already been dropped, if not more.

"Daigo, move your head!" Erika screamed. Her words fell on deaf ears, as Daigo seemingly failed to even acknowledge the yell that tried to keep him alive. With that, the coin fell on the bagged head. Blood and grey matter soaked the area around the body, as pieces of fractured skull were flung aside by the powerful and brutish force of the impact. With that, the coin fell over, revealing a Monokuma face on one side. The whole scene was bloodied and sordid, disturbing beyond recollection as the living matter of a man who had been alive only seconds ago decorated the floor: as if the vigour in his body was now little more than a gallon of paint for a sick and twisted redecoration - as if the very life he possessed was shown to be little more than crimson fluid with flecks of grey.

Kumi screamed. Chizuko spewed on the floor, and the rest of us stood there paralyzed in fear with our faces covered in crimson. Two deaths in one day. Hisoka Arai, Daigo Yamamoto; the bear sat there smiling with that grin of malice, and that bright crimson eye showcased his antipathy for peace and safety. He had killed them, using humans and justice as his murder weapons. The sickest variety of killer - and he presided over this court, playing us all like keys upon a harpsichord. Maybe I was wrong. Even if Daigo dealt the killing blow, there could be no doubt about it now - Monokuma had murdered both Daigo and Hisoka. Two were dead, and twenty-two remained. Still, not even a glimpse of escape could be caught.

"Puhuhu, seeing the despair on your faces is always a highlight," Monokuma said. "Why do you feel love for a man who showed no love to others, who committed the Ultimate Atrocity and tried to get away with it?"

"For taking a life, he paid with his life," Noriko said. "Still, that was a pretty twisted thing to do since you drove him to murder in the first place. Tell me the truth, why are you doing this?"

"Call it a little experiment, you know?" Monokuma said. "I just want despair, pure and unbridled misery in its truest form."

"No... N-no... No-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no-no!" Kumi stammered. "W-why... S-s-s-stop th-this!"

"This is disgusting," Chizuko screamed. "We won't let you get away with this!"

"We'll fight for their sakes, Monokuma," Yamato said.

"You really think so?" Monokuma said. "If one of you was capable of murder, what makes you think the rest of you aren't? Puhuhu, it's real hard to keep your eyes looking forward for clues when you spend all your time looking behind for backstabbers and traitors. I wouldn't bet on that, kiddo!"

"Murder is wrong - you're wrong," Seita said. "This... this... isn't human. This is the work of a monster!"

"Hey, I'm no monster, I'm a bear!" Monokuma exclaimed.

"Still, why did Daigo murder in the first place?" I said. "I got the impression that he wasn't telling the full story, even as he was executed."

"Whatever it was that plagued his heart, he took it to the grave," Goro responded.

"Why?" Leiko said. "I wanted to rip apart whoever took Hisoka, but..."

"This is all wrong," Yoshimi exclaimed. "This is sick and vile, why? Why did you do that to him!?"

"Surely there must be something these deaths are accomplishing, Monokuma?" Akemi said. "These deaths are just for nothing?"

"Puhuhu, why don't you find out?" Monokuma said. "Why don't you go and die, then you'll know if it does anything!"

"You sick bastard," Yamato said.

"There's one thing I want to ask you all," Samuru interjected. The room turned to face him, the entirety of the surviving participants had their attention focused in his direction.

"Hisoka was murdered by Daigo, that can't be doubted," Samuru stated. "What's the possibility that something like this will happen again? If Monokuma presents us with another motive that plays against our weaknesses, will another of us remaining twenty-two be murdered?"

"Then we have to find a way out of here before that can happen!" Sora exclaimed.

"Sora, there might not be a way out," Yamato said. "Hope is only good when there's possibility, otherwise it's just delusion."

"I want to get out of here," I said. "We should talk about this in the morning. I don't think anyone... would want us staring at them when they're in that state."

"I agree," Jitsuko said. "He deserves dignity in death."

"If any of you need anything, please," Taro said. "Come to me for help. I'll help however I can, I want to help guide you all."

"I-I-I h-have t-t-to g-g-g-g-g-go," Kumi said. "S-s-s-s-sorry!"

Kumi ran out of the room toward the exit, clutching her face as she did so as if to prevent the tears from streaming from her eyes.

"We should go as well," Hiroyuki said. "We can't fucking deal with that bear and fatigue at the same time."

"We need our strength," Erika said. "We need to save one another. I believe that."

It was then I noticed that Ryoma had been right in that dining hall. One of us was capable of murder, what was to say that another person wasn't? I needed to trust my friends, but nothing good would come from lowering my guard. As everyone slowly sauntered out of the hall and onto the campfire elevator that had brought us down, we were raised back up to the surface. One by one, we all went back to our dorms. I remained behind for a bit, and everyone left except Hoshi and Taro. I stared up at the stars.

"You did real good, Hitomi," Hoshi said. "Don't beat yourself up over it, I know that's what you're doing. We'd be dead without you."

In the end, she was right. I didn't really blame Monokuma for Daigo's death, nor did I really blame Daigo. I blamed myself - for discovering the truth. If I had failed, then we would all die, but is it alright to state that this was the best outcome? Two people were dead, and by discovering Daigo was the culprit I had become complicit in his death - responsible, even.

"Hitomi, Hisoka was a treasured friend to all of us, and even despite what he did Daigo encouraged us to carry on," Taro said. "We have to carry on, for Hisoka, for Daigo, for our family - and for ourselves. You discovered the truth today in there, you can't lose sight of your destination. We have to fight, against doubt and distrust, and discover freedom in this hell-hole. You can count on me, Hitomi."

"And you can count on me as well!" Hoshi said. "Geez, trying to force me out of the action here?"

"Thanks," I said. In truth, I wasn't so sure I was ready to trust anyone again at this stage, and it was quite likely that the remainder of the group felt the same way. Perhaps, even they agreed.

"So, Hitomi?" Hoshi said. "You wanna set up those cameras now? We need to... do something, you know?"

"I think I'll leave that to you," I said. "I'm going to stay here a while, and do a bit of stargazing."

"The stars do always help clear my mind," Taro said. "To me, they always seemed to make every problem I had just a little bit smaller, you know?"

"Well, you do you," Hoshi said. "I'll let Kumi know, don't freeze to death though."

"It would be pretty ironic to freeze to death next to a fire-pit," I said. "Don't worry about me though, guys. I'll be fine."

"No probs," Taro said. "See you then."

"Yeah," I said. "See you tomorrow."

Hoshi remained behind. She stared down at me, with a forced smile upon her face. The weight of the two deaths was definitely affecting her, but she stayed strong - for whatever reason, she stared forward with intense fervour.

"Whatever you do Hitomi, you saved our asses," Hoshi said. "You remember what you said in the bathroom? That you weren't special, that you weren't an ultimate?"

"Yeah..." I said.

"Well that's fucking bullshit," Hoshi said. "I didn't see any of those Ultimates figuring it all out. Don't you ever say that you're nothing, you've found the damn truth when no-one else could: that's gotta count for something, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it does," I replied.

"Suppose?" Hoshi asked. "It's not a matter of supposing, you were the one who did it. That's a fact. Don't beat yourself up over all this."

"In the end, what good did I do?" I asked. "Hisoka died, Daigo died, and both of them happened right next to me. We still couldn't face up to Monokuma; we still couldn't stop what Monokuma did. He killed in cold blood, and tormented Daigo as he instigated that savage punishment. I did nothing."

"You saved everyone!" Hoshi yelled, as she pulled me by the collar of my white dress shirt. "That's nothing to you? Are our twenty two lives nothing to you!? Get your head out of the dirt, Hitomi! You are so much better than this, I can see it within you. You're not some schmuck who did nothing, stop this!"

"What have I done?" I asked. "We're still in a minefield at the mercy of a war machine and a homicidal bear, and we'll keep dying until we reach those three people if we don't find a way out. One in eight, that's each person's chance of survival. Is that something to celebrate, Hoshi?"

Hoshi slapped me across the face. It was a hard slap, leaving a slight sting on my cheek, and she certainly followed through.

"Things look grim, but hold your head up high!" Hoshi said. "You're the person everyone is looking to right now, if you can't even look forward, then what hope will the rest of us have!?"

"Hoshi, I'm sorry, but I think I'd like some time alone," I said.

Hoshi sighed. "Alright," she said after a while. "I'll talk to Kumi."

Hoshi left. The gales whistled some incomprehensible tune as they caressed my face, the frigid winds lashing me repeatedly with cold reality. Teardrops began to streak down my face, and they felt as if they would freeze onto my very face if I stood there for too long. I stared up into the stars. Dark jet clouds were layered upon one another in the overcast sky, and it was impossible to tell whether a downpour was pending or whether the night sky had simply made them appear that way. I stared up at those clouds, tendrils of frosted air trailing across my face, as I screamed to the stars while crying.

"Why?" I screamed. "What have we done to deserve this? Why do this? Why can't we just live in peace?"

Nothing changed as those words left my mouth. My screams pierced no ears, and the apathetic machinations of this world were unaffected by the screams of a dejected girl. I would receive no help here. If we were to escape this place, it wouldn't be some act of circumstance: we would have to find that escape of our own accord. I grew drowsy after a while. As I stared up at the stars, I began to grow lethargic. After a while, I decided to head back to my dorm room, not wishing to incur Monokuma's wrath.

Twenty-two of us remained. I hoped we would be able to find a way out before we lost any others, but some more rational and more callous element knew otherwise: someone else would die before we found an escape. That wasn't just doubt anymore, it was fact.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: It feels like the end of an era drawing this to a close, but here we are at the end of the case. Apologies if this execution was a bit gruesome for anyone's tastes, unfortunately I didn't really have the ability to tone down my depiction as much as I had hoped. Still, here's the end of Case 1. I wonder what's in store for you guys next?_

 _Anyway, since I'm going away and I won't be able to actually post for a while, feel free to message me and ask me questions: because other than looking at other fanfics the only thing I can do is message people. That being said, when I do return I won't be getting straight into Chapter 2._

 _Final point to mention: I've changed the poll on my profile, and I've closed the original. It should now be about who Hitomi should use her Free Times with in Chapter 2. I have left the dead characters on the poll, as to prevent people from getting spoiled: but try to avoid voting for them. Last thing I need is for Hitomi to dig up some poor sod's grave and try to have a heart-to-heart with a decomposing body._

 _That'll be all from me, I'll see you soon._

 _Thanks,_

 _elusiveEmperor_


	24. End of Chapter 1: Roll Call

Emergency Warning: Just in case you've skipped to this page, Chapter 1 spoilers below.

 _"Pace yourself, you know? Don't get ahead, the time put into a crime makes it oh so much more sublime. Those people who skip to the end and complain because they don't understand are simply the worst, you know? They're usually the 'judge a book by its cover' kind of person, who just wants to see who lives and dies without even forming a real bond with the characters. It really makes you think though, aren't we all just characters? Which is the real lie, Danganronpa or the world? At least in that place, there's something to fight for."_

 _"We don't fight for anything here, do we? We just fight against each other, over and over again, in a pitiful cycle. Maybe it's better to live a lie, lies have limitless possibilities. There's only one path for truth, a path intrinsically linked to despair. If that's the case, and lies and hope are the opposite of truth and despair..."_

 _"...Doesn't that mean to lie is to have hope, and to be hopeful?"_

* * *

Chapter 1: A Cynic's Natural Inclination

 **\- COMPLETE -**

* * *

 **Purple**

Reserve Carpenter, Chizuko Adachi

Ultimate Dollmaker, Mayu Amari

Ultimate Guru, Kotaro Hino

Reserve Philosopher, Hitomi Itou

Ultimate Orator, Samuru Mori

Reserve Boatswain, Kenji Nakasone

Reserve Deadlifter, Jitsuko Saito

Ultimate Linguist, Kiyoshi Tachibana

 **Orange**

Reserve Art Scholar, Hisoka Arai (X)

Ultimate Advertising Executive, Akemi Fujioka

Reserve Ice Skater, Yoshimi Isozaki

Ultimate Biomedical Engineer, Yamato Kaga

Ultimate Soccer Player, Hiroyuki Kazetani

Reserve Biathlonist, Goro Maeda

Reserve Basketballer, Hoshi Nakashima

Ultimate Journalist, Noriko Yanai

 **Green**

Reserve Genealogist, Iyona Hatsukuni

Reserve Production Assistant, Kumi Himura

Ultimate Locksmith, Leiko Iwai

Reserve Kleptomaniac, Seita Mori

Ultimate Rescue Worker, Erika Sakaguchi

Reserve Songwriter, Sora Sendo

Ultimate Osteologist, Ryoma Shiozu

Ultimate Mining Magnate, Daigo Yamamoto (X)

 _ **22 Currently Remaining**_

* * *

 _Chapter 1 Artifact Obtained: Wiretapped Boutonniere_

A Boutonniere rigged with a Microphone and a Transmitter by Noriko Yanai, which was then given to Daigo Yamamoto by some still unknown method. The flower may have perished, but the sentimentality of the gesture was still there within up until that final hour, and Daigo cherished it as his last worldly possession.

* * *

Summary: After twenty-four Tsubaki Students are abducted, the seeds of suspicion were sown, as Hisoka Arai was murdered at the hands of Daigo Yamamoto in order to prevent the distribution of his Seventh Day Secret. After Hitomi Itou exposed the truth behind the case, the group of survivors was able to unite and discover the truth - yet the cost of doing so was great. Daigo Yamamoto was brutally executed by Monokuma, and the scars left by the atrocity Monokuma committed are still gripping the group tightly. However, perhaps more detrimentally, it has become clear to the students that not all of them have the best interests of their peers at heart.

The _Seeds of Suspicion_ have been sown, and soon Monokuma will reap those seeds once more.


	25. Chapter 1-?: Monoloser Theatre (1)

"Looks like a pretty run-of-the-mill suicide if you ask me," a rookie detective said as he stared up at the body hanging from the ceiling rafter. The men here seemed unfazed by the man dangling precariously from a rope on the rooftop, as if it were something they were now desensitised to. An aged inspector stared at a photo upon the cabinet. Pictured was the deceased with a small child: his daughter. He didn't know where the mother was, but she'd left a long time ago.

"So chief, why are we standing around here?" The rookie asked. "There's nothing worthwhile to investigate here, he killed himself."

The chief picked up the photo from the dresser, and held it in his hand. He looked a little gloomy as he stared down it. It was sad, to know that a kid like that would end up being adopted out due to a tragedy she couldn't understand. He put down the photo, and stared back at the detective.

"Are you thick in the head?" The chief said. "Look, I know you're new to this department, but you've really got to work on your observation skills kid."

"What do you mean?" The rookie asked.

"Is there any sign of a suicide note?" The chief replied.

"There's no indication of a suicide note or a last will, no," the rookie replied. "He didn't leave a message of any kind."

"Sometimes, the most damning thing in a case is not the evidence - but the lack thereof," the chief said. "You really think a man would just leave behind a little girl without at least writing a last will and testament?"

"Well... uh... I don't disagree, but there is really no indication of foul play," the rookie said. "Do you think this was a hit or something?"

"Hmm, has to be a pretty good bloody hitman to leave no sign of resistance nor external injuries," the chief said. "Who did you say the vic was again?"

"His name was Ryota Mitarai," the rookie said, reading from an oblong shaped tablet bearing a police insignia on the rear. "As far as we can tell, he has no known enemies, but staff at his workplace did witness him becoming increasingly paranoid over the past few days. He did gain critical acclaim from his work on the production of the Danganronpa animated television series, and so he certainly would have been in the public eye."

"Danganronpa?" The chief inquired.

"It's a popular animated mystery series about a bunch of kids murdering each other," the rookie said. "Had a couple of game spin-offs as well."

"Pretty fucking tasteless for a guy with a seven-year-old," the chief added.

"Well, it's earned him a lot of money," the rookie said. "I suppose it's a bit of a 'don't hate the player' sort of thing."

"You mentioned that he was paranoid prior to his death," the chief asked. "Is there any more detail about that?"

The rookie scoured the file for more detail. After a while, he found what he was looking for, and began to read out a section of the report.

"An intern at his studio became worried, apparently," he said. "She stated that he had become increasingly on-edge and jumpy in the days leading up to his murder, and he was also heard talking to himself a lot when he was left alone, something about Tsubaki Academy, the school he went to. He said on a few occasions that there was someone coming for him, although nothing about the identity of this 'someone' is anyone's guess."

"Hmm, interesting," the chief remarked. "Right, I want you to get a data analysis team over to the house as soon as possible, and I want them to comb through every inch of his personal computer for information. If he really was paranoid, he might have left behind an encrypted message or a hidden will of some kind. I also want you to investigate anyone who came close to Ryota... let's say within the last two months. Also, get a coroner down here. If he was poisoned, there's a chance we might be able to identify a cause of death other than suicide: that'll give us a leg to stand on."

"Chief, what are you going to do?" The rookie asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" The chief replied. "I'm going to get us a lead. I'm looking into this Tsubaki place, if he was so worried about it. You said it was his school?"

"That's what the file says," the rookie replied.

"Don't rely on those sorts of things too much, kid," the chief said. "Ninety per-cent of the time, the info on that screen will lead you to the wrong conclusion." He wandered out. He was completely unfazed by the scene of the murder, almost stoic as he left. The rookie stared back at him. He knew the chief had experience, he knew that he had been doing this for an awful long time. However, to look at a dead man suspended from the roof and to simply remain calm as if it were another day at the office...

...The rookie wondered what he'd really seen.

* * *

The chief wandered into the school gates. It seemed as if it was another day on campus for the most part, students left and right were shuffling around the campus toward their classes with blank faces, as they continued their day to day lives. Most of them looked relatively glum. It was a school, so that he anticipated, but some of them looked as if they were at a funeral instead. He approached one boy sitting on a park bench.

"Hi, my name is Chief Inspector Toshihiro Nishimura," he said to the boy. "Do you mind if I ask you where I might find the reception desk?"

"Is this about the disappearances?" The boy asked.

"The disappearances?" Toshihioro asked. "What disappearances?"

"You don't know?" He replied. "What are you here about then?"

"I'm afraid I'm not at liberty to disclose that," Toshihiro stated.

"Well, whatever," the boy said. "I'm sure you've heard about it if you were an officer anyway. A bunch of kids went missing from here, all in the last two months."

"A bunch of kids just disappeared?" Toshihiro questioned the boy. "Does anyone know what happened to them?"

"If they do, they aren't talking," the boy replied. "Say, why did you ask me anyway?"

"I was hoping you might be able to help me to the reception," Toshihiro said. "Also, you looked like you could use a little company. You look lonely."

"Yeah, I suppose losing the best and one of the few friends you actually had would do that to you," he said. "Can you do something for me, Inspector?"

"What is it?" Toshihiro asked.

"Help me find my friend," he asked. "Help me find Sora."

"Who's Sora?" Toshihiro asked. "Was he abducted?"

"Yeah, in broad daylight," the boy said. "I was there."

"You witnessed it?" Toshihiro inquired. "What happened?"

"Bunch of dudes came out, wearing some hood with a circle and a cross symbol on it. It looked religious, but I couldn't tell," he said. "They piled him into the van, and sped off. Whoever they are, they knew just who they wanted and who they were looking for."

"How many have gone missing?" Toshihiro asked. "Do you know?"

"Not really," the boy said. "25, maybe?"

Twenty-five missing persons cases, the mysterious cross symbol, and a dead animator suspended from the rafters: all linked by Tsubaki. It seemed like a conspiracy jumping from the pages of some animated film, but this wasn't fiction. There could be no doubt that Ryota knew something about this before he died. Maybe that's why he said Tsubaki, maybe he knew they were going to disappear? At this point, it was all just speculation.

"Can I ask your name, kid?" Toshihiro asked.

"Haru... Haru Yoshida," he said after some hesitation. "If I can help you... let me help you. I want to find my friend."

"I'll let you know," Toshihiro said.

The two of them exchanged numbers, and Toshihiro left for the reception desk. This mystery was thickening, and he had barely scratched the surface of it. Meanwhile, Haru sat on the bench, staring at his lap. He waited for a friend that wouldn't return, on a bench that failed to offer solace or comfort. His hands shook. He wasn't sure why, but he could not keep his hands still. The trauma of such anguish had no doubt taken its toll on him: for his best friend since he arrived at Tsubaki to simply disappear without so much as a trace, after staying by his side for years on end. To him, it was a reminder that life was ephemeral and apathetic, and the whimsical nature of happenstance was a cruel and monstrous fiend.

Toshihiro wandered into the principal's office. A gallimaufry of different styles adorned the decor of the office, with art-deco and gothic styles mixed with rustic and Victorian elements as well. It looked as if an architecture student had taken a series of random cut-outs from a bunch of different magazines and thrown them together to try and create a palatable - or at the very least passable - office. The result was a chaotic mess, a series of differing styles that shouldn't work together: but somehow composed a relatively harmonious room in spite of that. The principal was a lanky man, and with the eccentricities he was known for, his ludicrous and garish office complemented him perfectly.

"Mr. Saburo?" Toshihiro asked.

"You got an appointment?" Saburo replied.

"I'm scheduling one," Toshihiro retorted as he flashed his ID Badge. "I don't imagine you're that busy of a man."

"Well, I can make time," Saburo said. "Of course, running one of the most famed schools in the district is a pretty tall order, so I usually am that busy of a man. There is one thing I do pride myself on though: adaptability. They say that if you ever need a job done, you should give it to a busy man - they get through things quicker. I can adapt, and that allows me to ensure I can be as efficient and as versatile as is possible for a man.

"Sorry, but could you leave the lectures for the students?" Toshihiro said. "I need information."

"On what, might I ask?" Saburo said.

"Well for starters, how about the twenty-five consecutive disappearance cases affecting members of your school?" Toshihiro queried.

"Oh, uh..." Saburo said, as he grew clammy. "...I was under the impression that the disappearances were a national-level investigation, is that really your jurisdiction?"

"Jesus, you get into a detective position and everyone above you looks down at you," Toshihiro said. "Then you get the top job, and suddenly every other national department's looking down at you. Look, I've been working in the force for fifteen years: I have reason to believe that my case and these abductions are linked, and if you want to doubt my abilities, you can just take a look at my investigative record, alright?"

"Well, the state seized the original records already," Saburo replied. "I'm afraid I will not be of much help."

"Seized the originals?" Toshihiro asked. "They're supposed to take copies, why'd you let them run off with the hard copies?"

"I didn't have a choice," Saburo said. "They were very specific in their demands: they wanted originals, and originals alone."

Toshihiro sighed. This reeked of foul play, and there was no doubt that there was something amiss with the investigation into the disappearances. However, he could see already that trying to investigate a murder case while also trying to precariously sidestep around whatever bullshit the other investigators were trying to pull. "Do you have any digitised copies or records I can analyse?" Toshihiro asked.

"I can print them if you need them," Saburo said. "However, they may not be as detailed as the ones I originally gave the state detectives."

"They're better than no records," Toshihiro stated. "Which is currently exactly what I goddamned have."

"Alright, alright," Saburo said. "I'll get my secretary to print those out for you."

He spoke into the phone receiver, and after Toshihiro sat there tapping his foot for a while, his secretary returned with a stack of paper bound together with a strained bull-clip. Toshihiro gandered through them. A bunch of files were collated together, sorted via alphabetical order. Chizuko Adachi, Mayu Amari, Akemi Fujioka, Yoshimi Isozaki, Leiko Iwai, Hitomi Itou. There were more names there, but he simply decided to stop there for now. Though there could be no doubt about it: there was indeed 25 files here. It was perplexing that 25 students could simply go missing like this consecutively while the perpetrator slipped beneath the radar. Bizarre, and somewhat perturbing. Truth was, this case had barely gotten started and it was already shaping up to be one of the worst of his career. Murder, abduction, conspiracy, all rolled into one muddled jumble. Who was it that was behind all this? What was their intent? What were they trying to do?

He'd been working in the force for most of his adult life, and he was beginning to realise something about the case. For once in his life, he didn't have a single fucking clue why. This wasn't just going to be a faked suicide, this was something shaping up to be so much larger.

"Well, it's good enough I suppose," Toshihiro said. "I'll try to recover the originals, but for the meantime this'll have to do."

"Sorry I couldn't be, well you know, a little more helpful," Saburo apologized. "Just promise me you'll find out what happened to them all, alright? I'm good friends with a lot of those students, they are good people: they don't deserve to be roped up in this."

"I'll find 'em," Toshihiro replied. "If it's the last thing I do, I'll find the bastard behind all this."

Toshihiro left the office, and headed out of the rather sizeable main building. File in hand, he wandered the campus and headed back toward the station, headed through the garden. It was then he noticed it. He felt a sudden sense of uneasiness overwhelm him, and turned around: he was being tailed. By who, he did not know, but by someone.

"Who's there?" He said.

A figure revealed themselves. Clad in what looked to be tribal era attire, she was a young woman somewhere between the age of 18 and 20: probably one of the eccentric scholarship students, but he couldn't be sure. She had incredibly dark skin for a Japanese native, so there was no doubt that she'd probably lived abroad for some time, yet there could be no doubting her true nation of origin. She had a wispy voice, and as the words she intended to say emanated from her mouth, they carried all the more gravitas due to that quiet voice of hers.

"You are going to die tonight," she said.

Understandably, the detective drew his gun and pointed it directly at the young girl who threatened a police officer. It was not a standard-issue weapon either. A Glock 26, which took the same ammunition as the current standard issue. Of course, buying a gun in Japan was nigh impossible even for a police officer, so as to how he had gotten this one it was anyone's guess.

"Is that a threat?" Toshihiro asked.

"No, a statement of fact," she replied. "I am here for the same reason you are though."

"What's that?" Toshihiro said.

"I want to find the person behind this," she said. "However, I'm afraid we have little time before you are inevitably offed like Mitarai."

"What do you mean, offed like Mitarai?" Toshihiro asked. "They're going to string me up and every gumshoe this side of the country's going to call it suicide?"

"Precisely," she replied. "I however am here to help your investigation continue from beyond the grave."

"And how is that?" Toshihiro said.

"I have my methods," she said. "I mean to catch this individual, you can be rest assured of that."

"Why would I trust you?" Toshihiro said.

"You don't have to," she replied. "I'm happy to tail whoever's coming to put a bullet in your head, and follow them to your place instead. I can nab the file after you die, if you die of course."

"I ain't dying," Toshihiro said. "I've stayed long enough in the force to know that dying's how you end an investigation, not start it."

"Well, it pleases me to know that you have such confidence in your abilities," she said. "Tell me, Toshihiro. Can you go toe-to-toe with an assassin?"

"Are you the assassin?" Toshihiro said.

"No, of course not," she replied. "I don't want you dead. In fact, I'd really like you to remain living. However, that is a statistical improbability considering the assassin that that fanatical figurehead has sent your way. He's snarky, but an unscrupulous perfectionist. A crime-scene is like a canvas to him, a perfect work of art upon which he intends to paint his masterpiece. I'm afraid if he's after you, you have little time, and you'll have even less chance of retribution."

"So, what do you want from me?" Toshihiro said. "If what you're saying is true, then you're wasting your breath on a dead man."

"I want you to ensure that the file in your hands will not be on your person the moment before your death," she said. "Hide it somewhere, but make sure when he comes: that the file is nowhere to be found."

"What's so important about the file?" Toshihiro said. "It's remnants, chunks and snippets of the original document, which was pilfered by those national bastards. How's this going to be any good to anyone?"

"It's all that's left," she said. "Once they find out you have it, they'll scrub that from Tsubaki's records as well. There will be nothing remaining tying them to this case."

"What good's hiding it so it never sees the light of day?" Toshihiro said.

"So that someday, another may pick it up in your stead," she replied.

"I've been doing this job for long enough to know that you never leave work for someone else," Toshihiro said. "These newbie detectives come in with their lofty ideals and faith in those around them, they don't have the eye for it. Let him at me, I say. I'll be damned if I let some assassin kill me now."

Toshihiro walked off, and left the girl in the tribal attire behind. She stared at him as he wandered off, knowing full well that this would likely be the first and last time that she would see him alive. It was a shame. He seemed like an interesting character, a pessimistic yet tenacious individual who wouldn't lose himself even amid the chaos of that deceitful world. Unfortunately, it wasn't himself that he needed to worry about losing to. She bid him a silent adieu within her mind, betting that by the morning he would likely have "shot himself" with the same weapon he had pointed at her only seconds earlier.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: Well, I guess that you now know how it is exactly that Ryota Mitarai is an included character in this story. Anyway, welcome to the Monoloser Theatre! These sections were originally intended to be hiatus fillers, but it seems I've encountered issues with being unable to post abroad, and so I have been forced into an involuntary hiatus for the time being. This is a two part chapter, and I'm guessing you guys can see now how the question-marked characters fit into all of this._

 _With this, a few mysteries are beginning to emerge. As we go, I should be able to shed more light on each of them. It seems that Toshihiro has stumbled upon the edge of a rabbit hole here, I guess you'll have to wait until next time to find out what it is he discovers: or whether he'll discover anything at all. However, even after Ryota's death, you can be rest assured that his enterprise shall live on._

 _I apologise if the next update might be a little slow, but I'm going to need some time to get back into the swing of things on my end. Still, expect it sooner rather than later. I'd give it a week and a half tops - though usually I'm more inclined to give a specific date, I might have to factor in schedule changes when I return. Anyway, I'll prep the next update, and I look forward to seeing you guys then!_


	26. Chapter 1-?: Monoloser Theatre (2)

Toshihiro walked departed from the school premises, holstering the pistol he had drawn as he did so. He hoped no-one else had been there to witness that, but knowing his luck, he'd probably get tattled on by some pre-pubescent kid about holding a student who was threatening him at gunpoint. He didn't care though. If that girl really was telling the truth, then he didn't have all that much time left to care anyway. He shoved his hands in his pockets, slouched his shoulders, and headed home. It began to rain as he wandered, and the city started to fog. He wondered if the assassin was following him in the mist?

He kept walking. This glum city air would do little to dampen his willful spirit, it never did: he wasn't that kind of man. It did little to dissuade him from wandering toward his grave, in his mind life was just a way of slowing the descent to the grave anyway. Perhaps a part of him had a death wish, or perhaps he simply didn't believe that girl and her words. Either way, he walked back to the city apartment he called home, through that gloomy mist that foretold the occurrence of unavoidable tragedy, with complete apathy and cluelessness. Absent-minded passersby wandered the streets about him, all oblivious to the fact that he would likely be dead within the day. Amidst them, a girl with a lavender t-shirt and a black skirt passed. Looking into his eyes, he seemed troubled yet relieved at the same time. It was an odd expression, akin to the face of a man who had seen both the depravity wrought in the wake of despair and the purifying light of hope, and had chosen to walk the path of both sides. It was a face that realised: in the end, the human condition is just simple juxtaposition. She wandered on, oblivious to the effect that man might wreak upon her future.

After a fifteen minute walk, the man entered his apartment. It was a studio apartment, the kind you'd expect to be owned by a university student or some upper-class businessman with a taste for the art deco. It was in a state of disarray. Books piled atop each other stretched across the living room, a pile of plates in the sink was now beginning to grow tall enough that shifting it ever so slightly might cause the whole thing to collapse, and a trashcan sat at the epicentre of a field of tissues: none of them quite reaching the bin, but some closer than others. It was a shambolic mess and a sight to behold. He sighed, and headed over to the refrigerator, desperate for a drink. He opened the door, grabbed a bottle of milk that had expired the day prior, and chugged the whole thing.

"You know, at the rate you're going, I mightn't even need to kill you," a figure said from behind him.

"Can it, you're not my doctor," Toshihiro said as he turned around and eyed down the individual opposite him. He was a tall boy, who wore disposable latex boots and rubber gloves, in addition to a hairnet and a jumpsuit. It was a strange outfit, which seemed incredibly mismatched. However, he was supposed to be an assassin capable of fixing a crime-scene, perhaps the outfit served a strategic function?

"I know I'm not, Nishimura," the boy said. "I'd be real worried if I was, I think I'd ask for a raise. Lucky me, I took the liberty of poisoning that milk: that was a bit of a gamble on my part. Then again, you aren't the sort of guy who really reads the use-by date, are you?"

"What do you want?" Toshihiro said.

"You know that already," the boy said. "What could I possibly want from you? I want you dead of course, that's my job."

"So, why taunt me?" Toshihiro asked. "Something tells me death ain't all you're after, kid."

"Maybe you're right?" The boy said. "Maybe I just want to please the Gods above, or maybe I just want to please my client. Maybe, I might even want to please my client's God. Outside of this work of fiction that our reality is, I wonder if there's any point to all this?"

"What the fuck are you on about?" Toshihiro said.

"Oh, sorry," the boy said. "Shouldn't be going about ruining the immersion, should I? Don't worry, Nishimura. We each have our roles to play in this gambit that's been made for us: such a shame yours was to die though, you'd probably have an interesting character arc."

"I'm not dead yet," Toshihiro said, and drew his Glock 26 on the child assailant. He aimed the pistol, his steadied hand and years of police training all culminating in that moment. He couldn't live, but he'd die with that little shit's corpse at his feet before he died like a dog at the very least. He fired, the bullet travelling through the air and making its way to the space where the boy had been, his acrobatic finesse allowing him to leap out of the bullet's trajectory with minimal effort. He had no need to attack, simply to make the bullets appear roughly in the same spot. He knew now how he'd execute the murder. The bullet sailed past him, landing within the wooden wall. He fired another, missing once more.

"Give it up," the boy said. "You think you could hit me when I know what you're planning? I've got plot armour on my side, after all!"

"Plot armour?" Toshihiro retorted. "What do you think you are, some sort of movie protagonist?"

He shot again, the bullet missing the boy once more as the boy skillfully evaded. It landed approximately 4 inches away from his other bullet, and as it did so the boy ran at Toshihiro. He kicked his legs out from under him, before palm-striking his falling hands still clutching the pistol, and grabbing the Glock 26 from the air. He then aimed the pistol at Toshihiro's head.

"It's over," the boy said. "Give it up."

"As if," Toshihiro replied. "We both know you can't do jack all with that pistol. You can aim it at my head, but this won't be a perfect murder if you don't do it right, will it? While I'm still capable of rebelling, you aren't capable of rigging this all up, are you?"

"Could you not just complicate things?" The boy said. "This is just supposed to be an in-and-out job, like Mitarai. I guess the pair of you have a bit in common. In the end, you aren't as gutless as you look: but why can't you just go down quick like he did?"

The poison was beginning to reach Toshihiro. He felt his motor-control failing, and as he began to lose his grip on life, he began to grip tighter on the boy's leg. It was his final resolve: if he couldn't kill him, he'd at least try leaving his prints on his pants.

"What are you doing?" The boy said. "Let go of me!"

The boy went to kick Toshihiro in the head, but he stopped slightly beforehand. It was then Toshihiro realised: he couldn't directly attack, not until Toshihiro himself had no life remaining to rebel with. It was a realisation that came too late. Maybe a few seconds earlier, it might've done something, but it was at that moment when Toshihiro began to surrender into the beckoning slumber of unconsciousness.

"Who... are you?" Toshihiro murmured, as he began to fall asleep.

"If I told you that, it'd ruin the surprise, you know?" The boy said. "I can't spoil the audience now, can I? They'd get mad if I did that." He smirked as he shook Toshihiro's hand from his leg, and with no more conviction left to face his foe, Toshihiro lethargically released his grip. It was done. The boy sighed, as he heaved the body over to the reclining chair, and turned the chair to face the bullet holes he'd made only a second earlier. First, he lifted Toshihiro's corpse into the chair. The boy had done his homework. He knew that Toshihiro had a far from amicable relationship with his ex-wife, and this explained why he grabbed the framed photo of his wife from over near the kitchen bench. He then moved one of the side tables next to the wall. Its heigt was just shy of the bullet impact marks, which was perfect. He put the photo between the two bullet holes, and then wandered back to the chair with the Glock 26. He then shot the photo frame with the pistol, a clean hit through the photo frame. When the police come to investigate, they would simply assume that the man had bungled the first two shots, then landed the third into his ex-wife's photo: and if they didn't, he had ways to convince them of that story.

Now however, it was time for the moment of truth. Toshihiro lay unconscious in the chair, his arms hanging downwards and his legs perfectly straight: that was no position for a suicide. The boy rearranged Toshihiro's limbs, which were now splayed out to either side, in a more relaxed fashion. Toshihiro had initially brandished this pistol with his right hand, and so the killer locked Toshihiro's grip around the pistol as he raised it to the man's temple.

Three shots to the wall, one to the head.

"C'est la vie," the boy said. "Adieu, Toshihiro."

The bullet ricocheted through Toshihiro's head, as blood spatter emanated from the hole recently carved into his skull. His head tilted, and fell onto his shoulder - scarlet liquid seeping from the wound as if it were water from a kettle, slowly draining as it was tilted to its side. The boy let both his arm and the gun fall naturally. His work here was done, no further hindrance would be posed from Toshihiro: the investigation into the abductees would end here, the mastermind would carry out their plan as promised, and he would earn a pretty penny from being the protagonist of this quest. He grabbed the file Toshihiro had brought in with him. 25 profiles, each of them participants in this game of life and death, willing or otherwise. It was odd though now that he thought about it: the list wasn't complete.

Now, the boy was left in the eerily still room, standing beside the dead man. He left quickly, expertly stepping across the room. He would await the moment when another incompetent sleuth presented themselves in anticipation, but for now there was still one remaining duty he had yet to execute: one task he still had left to perform. He opened the file, and grabbed a marker. In the back, he scrawled a note, and then once he had finished he headed down to the street outside.

"Finish what I couldn't," the note read. "Toshihiro Nishimura."

He also signed it with the strange cross symbol, despite his own desire not to. However, a job was a job, and they wanted it done that way. With that, he headed into a public toilet cubicle to change, then grabbed a mobile phone he had left behind the cistern. While he occupied the toilet, he called his employer's representative. After all, his real employer was a little preoccupied for the time being, so reaching them might be slightly difficult. It dialled out for a while, before the call got through.

"How's it going!" The boy said into the phone. "Sorry for disturbing you while you're in the middle of something, but what am I doing with this file again?"

"Sheesh, this isn't difficult, you know?" A squeaky voice said back through the phone. "You've got the address, so drop it off and leave the note!"

"Stop speaking with that grating voice," the boy replied. "You know it gets on my nerves, right?"

"No can do," the squeaky voice answered. "I've got to stay in character, even while I've got my week off. I've got to work on being more loveable, I can't be the mascot of Team Danganronpa if I don't put in the hours!"

"Whatever," the boy said. "Why don't we just burn this thing though?"

"Boss says a game's no fun without resistance," the squeaky voice said. "Good guys, bad guys, they've all got to be on the same footing. They've got to have the hope to succeed, so we can bring them even greater despair when they fail!"

"Alright, whatever you say," the boy said sarcastically. "For the record though, I still think this is a terrible idea. However, kudos to you for staying in character, I suppose."

"In character?" The squeaky voice said. "Why, I'm just my beary old self... I don't know what you're talking about."

"Well, fine," the boy replied. "See you then."

"Adios muchachos," the voice signed off. "Monokuma out!"

The phone call terminated. The boy was left behind with just his own thoughts in that bathroom stall, and sighed. Sure, he was all for being a little ostentatious, but this was for all intents and purposes giving the enemy an unnecessary advantage. What's the point in that? Truth be told, he saw none: he likely never would. For the moment though, he was under orders. He changed into some more acceptable clothing from a duffel bag he'd left under the sink, and then wandered out with the bag slung over his shoulder. Without any cameras lining the streets nor the interior of the apartment building, his departure from the location of the murder virtually absolved him of all offences. As far as an investigation would be concerned: he would be as clean as an operating theatre pre-surgery.

He enveloped the file, wrote the recipient's name on the front, and headed to the listed address. It was another apartment, in a complex three blocks down. Their security seemed a little tighter here: but he wasn't here for anything conspicuous, merely to drop in a letter. He put a hood over his head to obscure his face from the overhead cameras, and approached the attendant at the desk.

"Uhh..." The boy said, in an awkward manner. "I... I wanted to send a letter... to my friend?"

"To your friend?" The attendant asked. "Which apartment do they live in?"

"I think it's... 131," the boy said. "Can I ask that it makes it to him, specifically, and no one else?"

"That's an odd request," the attendant said. "Can I ask what this is about?"

"Oh, don't worry, it's not dangerous or anything," the boy piped up. "It's just... it contains some sensitive stuff of mine, and I'd be really embarrassed if it got out..."

"That's fine, I'll make sure it reaches him then," the attendant said. "May I ask who I should be handing this to?"

"His name's... Haru," the boy said. "Also, one last thing?"

"What is it?" The attendant asked.

"Don't tell him... I brought it," the boy added. "I want it to be... a surprise, for him. I... I worked really hard on it."

"Alright, I'll hand it to him in confidence," the attendant said.

"Thank you," the boy said. With that he left, departing from the building, and headed out. "Well, that should do the trick," the boy mumbled to himself. "Geez, I'm pooped. Such a long day, and here I am running errands at the end of it; I should be getting overtime for this. I mean, I am known for being near perfect at my job in every way, and now my employer has the audacity to ask me to slip up? That imbecile sure is one hell of a deuteragonist, eh?"

Satisfied, he wandered into the sunset. His crimes might never reach the light of day, but one crucial piece of evidence remained - the truth amid a web of lies. That folder, which he himself had allowed to exist, remained for the sake of hope: a misguided and demented hope created from obsession and adherence to some bizarre and trite set of formulaic instructions, as they wandered in the footsteps of the man they had murdered. Ryota Mitarai; he wondered if he'd heard that name before, he sounded like... some character from an old show he never watched. It felt familiar to him, but it was just a name after all. There's a lot of names out there.

It was probably all just some serendipitous happenstance, but if he had learnt anything from life, he had learnt that there was a scripted pattern lurking beneath the surface of everything. A skilled reasoner knows that: Chekov's law never allows for coincidence, does it?

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: And here he is, the Ultimate Assassin in all his glory! Honestly though, I guess this means either that the mystery's deeper than it ever was before, or this is one truly delusional assassin. Anyway, the Trussassin aside, the next update that comes in about a week's time will not be directly to this story. However, I've got good news for you: I'm now in the process of finalising Daigo and Hisoka's free time events! Included in that update will also be a smaller update with a few profiles which should clear up some basic information that wasn't explicitly addressed in canon, since I'm aware that I rushed a little through a few characters' descriptions (especially Yona, sorry about that one). After that happens, you can expect the first installment of Chapter 2. Sorry about the lengthy hiatus, but I suppose these Monoloser Theatres are still content, and your reactions indicate that they've got nearly as much appeal as the Killing Game itself._

 _Got to say though, the assassin is one of the hardest characters to write: not so much due to his personality, but rather the fact that he's supposed to be able to fabricate a crime scene flawlessly. I'm still convinced I probably missed some minor detail that might completely blow his entire identity to the cops, but I guess I'm not really privy to understand professional investigative techniques since I'm not even close to being an investigator in any capacity. Oh well, let me know if I missed anything on that front: it's a lot easier to look back later and find a mistake than to do it fresh off the press, occasionally there's a few that slip through after all._

 _Since this is actually the final installment of Chapter 1, I guess this is the actual end of Chapter 1, but I think I'm going to leave the wrap-up where it is for now._

 _Anyway, 'til next time._


	27. Chapter 2-1: Rest and Recuperation

I did not want to get up. Under such circumstances, I felt that a train of thought like this was mostly acceptable. Two of us were dead, and if we were to follow what Monokuma said, then another nineteen of us would follow them. I lay on the bunk bed and stared up at the ceiling. Daigo, and Hisoka. Two men I had only met a few days ago, and yet Monokuma had forcibly taken them both from us, using the weaknesses of their hearts as a means to commit murder. It was abhorrent.

" _RISE AND SHINE SLEEPYHEADS, WE'VE GOT ANOTHER FUN-FILLED DAY OF CAMP AHEAD OF US! THE NIGHT IS NOW OVER, AND THE MORNING HAS BEGUN!_ " The morning announcement rang out through the dormitory. I was becoming too accustomed to it. Partially against my own volition, I rose to my feet. It seemed that Mayu and Jitsuko had left the Purple Female Dormitory earlier, as all that remained in here was Kiyoshi and myself. It made me feel slightly lonesome; the room felt hollow. Now, we no longer had the protection of being on the off-team that kept us from being targeted by any of us manipulated like Daigo was - one of us could end up dead. Some of us perhaps believed once in the fact that none of us would murder: but the brutal truth of Daigo's work had poisoned that idea.

I stood up, and headed toward the dining hall. The Purple Lounge was unoccupied, save for one person: Jitsuko. She seemed to be using a set of miniature hand-weights, and though they were probably caved in comparison to what she was used to, they seemed to be all she had on hand.

"Morning Hitomi," Jitsuko said. "You headed to the dining hall?"

"Yeah," I said.

"Well you probably shouldn't," Jitsuko interjected. "I'm not trying to be rude or anything, it's just that... you won't find company there."

"Why?" I asked. "Where is everyone then?"

"Avoiding everyone else," Jitsuko stated. "It is a sad way to live, I must say. I guess Hisoka really did more for us all than we knew."

"Yeah," I said again, this time with a little more disappointment. The death of one of us had affected me deeply, but the death of Hisoka who had done nothing but try to bring us all together would probably have wrought greater suspicion than what was at all possible otherwise. "I guess... we've lost two of us, both Hisoka and Daigo: to murder of all things. I could imagine it would take a toll on us."

"You know, we fought hard in there," Jitsuko said. "Yet we still lost in the end. The truth isn't always pretty, is it?"

"I'm not sure it was ever meant to be pretty," I said.

"I just hope, for all of our sakes, that nothing like that happens again," Jitsuko said. "But... I can't get it out of my head. If one person is capable of murder, does that mean... does that mean there's more?"

"We can't keep... letting him win," I said. "If we can't get everyone to trust one another, then we'll never be able to escape together. All twenty-two of us: we all need to understand one another, and get out together. That's the only way we can escape from here."

"Are you sure that isn't blind optimism?" Jitsuko said. "Because, right now: a man is dead for his belief in others."

"I..." I stammered. "I... I..."

"Sorry," Jitsuko said. "But I don't think that's going to work. Not on them, anyway. They're all thinking exactly the same thing: it doesn't matter what Daigo said about trust in the end, people are going to hold their own safety above the words of a murderer."

I sighed. She was right, and though I didn't want to admit it, there seemed to be no alternative.

"I'm... sorry if I'm being a little down in the dumps," Jitsuko said. "It's just we're all a little shaken by the fact that Daigo did something like that. It's hard to come to terms with - that someone here among all of us would want... would want..."

"Would want another person dead?" I cut in, to ease the toll on her a little. Granted, it was tearing me up inside as it did everyone else here, but I thought that it was hurting Jitsuko more than she let on.

"Yes..." She replied. "I'm sorry, but do you mind if I... go back to what I was doing? I'd prefer to keep my mind off all that's going on here."

"Sure," I replied hesitantly. "I'll see you around then."

I left the room. I guess this was certainly having a toll on her, and it was fair enough. However, I was remarkably surprised by how I was capable of even keeping a shred of composure, even if every facet of my mind was desperately suppressing the innate desire to scream and sob in a heap. I thought back to my life before all of this. Acting as a mediator between my parents, I wanted to cry as they hurled insults at one another. The one thing you learn however when you're forced to liaise between your parents is that crying doesn't solve problems - it delays them. They'd send me to bed, tuck me in and say good night, then go back downstairs and scream at one another. Crying doesn't help others, it just helps yourself: that was something experience had taught me. Maybe that was why I ardently refused to shed a tear now?

I entered the dining hall. Surely enough, the place was all but empty. Of the twenty-two people caught in this hellish campsite, only three were in the dining hall. Leiko was seated in Hisoka's spot, sobbing as she ate what looked to be a plate of pancakes. Taro was seated opposite her with a cup of instant coffee and an empty plate. He looked to be consoling her, and seemed to wear a warm expression on his face despite the cold and unforgiving reality around us. Finally, on the opposite side of the room was Yamato. He was eating some tinned tuna, likely to avoid any potential poisoning. Yamato was of course trying to act like a leader, but in the end he was just as cautious and paranoid right now as everyone else: this situation had put everyone on edge.

"Good morning Hitomi," Yamato said. Despite his friendly words, there was no warmth in them. It wasn't that there was hostility in them, but everyone was too wary and suspicious of one another to attempt to be close at this point.

"Morning Yamato," I replied. "Where is everyone else?"

"Either asleep or absent," Yamato said. "Considering the circumstances, I don't blame them. We're all that's left."

I headed into the kitchen. There was a series of pancake stacks next to the stovetop, which I imagine would probably total to a fair amount. I counted twenty four. Whoever was cooking them must have been here a while, and it looks like the fruits of their labours would ultimately spoil. I took a pancake, and lathered it with syrup, before heading back to the table and sitting next to Leiko.

"Did you make all of those?" I asked.

She didn't respond for a bit, but then piped up. "Yeah," she said.

"It's a shame that no one else has come in," I said.

"They have," Leiko interjected.

"Why didn't they have the pancakes?" I replied.

"Looks like they're all too scared of poison," Taro cut in. "Like Yamato over there, everyone's avoiding perishable food in case it was poisoned."

"I'm just cautious," Yamato said. "I am sorry I can't help with those, but being a little paranoid in a situation like this is probably for the best."

"I made them all this morning," Leiko said. "Thought I may as well do something good by Hisoka and keep his spirit alive, but I guess that won't happen."

"What happened to you by the way?" I asked. "Usually I hear some quirky joke coming from you the second I walk into a room, where's that spirit?"

"I'm trying for his sake, but..." Leiko said. "I can't think about anything. I can't think about anything except Hisoka, his smiling face, and what happened. Daigo may have had a gruesome punishment, but that was nothing in comparison to what he made Hisoka feel. I wanted to at the very least bring back what Hisoka tried to create... but Daigo destroyed it all."

"Daigo was going through as much pain as he was," Taro said. "I may not condone what he did, but I can understand that Daigo saw reason to do what he did. This is Monokuma's fault, not his."

"No," Leiko said. "It's all his. Monokuma is fucking us all over, but Daigo's the one who succumbed."

"Sorry, I'm fucking who now?" Monokuma interjected.

We all pivoted around in shock as the squeaky voice of Monokuma brought about a rude awakening.

"Good morning my lovely students!" Monokuma said. "How was your sleep, guys?"

"You..." Yamato said. "What are you doing here?"

"I just came to check up on you, that's all," Monokuma replied. "Anyway, I got a real good surprise for you guys: you're gonna love it, I assure you. Unfortunately though, since breakfast mornings have been cancelled, I don't really have a platform to present these to you. Never fear though! Mr. Monokuma's going to give you all a gift!"

"Why would we want anything from you?" Leiko said. "Get out!"

"Come on, shouldn't you be grateful for a gift?" Monokuma asked. "After all, this is going to help you guys stay alive, you know? It's the height of rudeness to reject a present."

"Now why would you want that?" Taro asked. "Surely there's something else going on here, we both know you don't want us alive."

"Oh, but I do," Monokuma said. "I really do you know? I want you to live and get to know each other, I've put you in a camp with brand new friends and everything with state of the art facilities, aren't I just so generous? If you get to know each other... that'll make the killing so much more beautiful."

White and black. He really was the epitome of duality in everything that he did. However, there could be no doubt about it: within his malevolent intentions, there was nothing but black. Any generosity he had was simply for show.

"Um... what exactly, is it you're planning to give to us?" I asked.

"Puhuhu, I guess you'll have to find out!" Monokuma said. "Come to the campfire at twelve. Attendance is mandatory, and I'm sure you all have a fair idea of what happens if you're a no-show. Adios!" With that, Monokuma left the room, and the four of us inside were left in a state of confusion. After Monokuma left, Ryoma entered the room.

"What did Monokuma want with you guys?" Ryoma asked.

"We need to meet at the campfire at twelve, that's all," Taro said. "You here for breakfast?"

"No, sorry," Ryoma said. "Just following the bear. He seemed like he was on a mission, so I figured I'd keep an eye on him and see what was up. I'm sorry for disturbing you."

"Don't be," Taro said. "Are you sure you don't want to stay around and eat some pancakes? Leiko made them for everyone."

"I might have a bit of a nibble, but I'm not all that sure I can be sticking around," Ryoma said.

Ryoma headed into the kitchen, grabbed a pancake with his bare hands, and headed off. He seemed to be determined to follow Monokuma. Perhaps he had some plan in mind, or maybe it was simply that he couldn't bring himself to stay in the room with anyone else. I was sure the word 'nibble' would be enough to trigger Leiko to make some sex joke, but she did not seem to so much as a twitch.

"I'm guessing sitting down for breakfast isn't going to be all that popular," I said.

"I think I'll head off," Leiko said.

"You sure?" I asked.

"Yeah, I guess breakfast's not all it's cracked up to be," Leiko said. "Don't worry, I made them for

myself more than anyone else anyway."

"You made... twenty-four pancakes for yourself?" I asked.

"I'm a growing girl, hey?" Leiko said. "If I don't get enough fat on me, I'm gonna be lacking in the chest department. Gotta get these bad boys going, if you know what I mean."

"That's..." I started. I was about to say disgusting, but if anything this was a sign that she was returning to her old self. Even if I wanted to, I don't think I could do it to her.

"That's how you get the guys," Leiko continued. "You know it, Miss Teensy Tits!"

"Hey!" I said. "Come on now, that's just rude!"

"Don't take it the wrong way, some guys are into that," Leiko said. "Anyway, I think I'll head off. Have some more pancakes, Hit-on-me, I don't want them going to waste."

With that, Leiko left. She tried to put on a brave face, but I could see that she was more visibly affected by all of this than anyone else here. What Daigo had done... it had brought about an unseen rift between us all. With Hisoka gone and Leiko trying to fill the void by taking his position and failing, it was only accentuating the problem more: Hisoka wasn't coming back, and Leiko was realising now how much he had done for us all and how little she alone could do.

"You're the only one who's going to eat those, you know?" Yamato said. "There aren't many takers, even if Leiko's being honest and heartfelt."

"You trust her?" I said. "Why are you eating tinned food then?"

"I never said I didn't trust her," Yamato said. "I don't trust the food stores. If someone just poured poison through the flour, nobody would stand a chance at finding the killer. Logically, Leiko would not do anything like that since Hisoka was so important to her, but I am simply unable to believe that goes for the rest of us."

I sighed. What Yamato said was fair, but also concerning. The truth was, a lot of the reason we had got through the trial was due to the evidence that Daigo had left behind. If that were to happen again, and someone simply poisoned something and left it in the storeroom, I had no doubt that we would be going in blind and probably end up the same way Daigo and Hisoka did.

"I should've saved Hisoka," Yamato said. "You know, I was seated next to him. If I was a little more observant, I could've noticed the flakes in Hisoka's soup. If that was the case, I could have prevented all this before it even started. I could have stopped it all. I knew about Monokuma, I knew about what would happen, and yet I still let it go ahead. I can't help but feel as if I could've done something."

"You can't dwell in ifs," I said. "You never could have known."

"Don't worry about it," Taro said. "There's nothing you could have done, Yamato. You did the best you could to get us this far. You took charge in making sure we all proceeded with the investigation, without you we all would have failed."

"If you want to blame anyone..." I said. "Blame Noriko. She knew all along that Daigo was hiding something, and told nobody. You just did your best with what you knew."

"I don't think we'll ever figure out what was going on in her head," Taro said. "She knew the whole time and didn't tell a soul. Pretty messed if you ask me."

"I guess I can make it up to Hisoka by at the very least being the best damn leader I can be. I'm going to go and round up the rest of us," Yamato said. "I'll see you at twelve."

With that, Yamato left. He likely felt obliged to ensure the wellbeing of us all, but it was taking quite the toll on him internally. With both Leiko and Yamato gone, the only person remaining behind was Taro. He seemed somewhat calm and warm unlike the rest of us.

"You don't seem to be as affected by this all," I said.

"I don't let very many things get to me," Taro said. "I haven't told you all that much about what I do, have I?"

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"I'm not just a guy who's friendly with people," Taro said. "I've helped returned servicemen suffering from PTSD, I've interrogated murderers and drug dealers, and I've done hostage negotiation in some of the most extreme conditions. I've seen a lot. I'm not just a person who makes friends, I'm a shoulder for all those who need guidance."

"I guess that's why they call you the Ultimate Guru," I said.

"I'm more of a counsellor, but yeah," Taro said. "I'm always loyal to those who need me."

"So, are you worried, about all of this?" I asked.

"Of course I am, Hitomi," Taro said. "I think we all are, aren't we? I'm not going to let anyone else get down because of me though, it's my duty to lift everyone else's spirits up. It's my cause, my purpose: my reason to be. I'm here to help in whatever way I can."

"That's good to hear," I said. "At least you're more helpful to us all than I am in the end. I got Daigo killed trying to discover the truth, and I couldn't even intervene to stop that... that disgusting thing Monokuma set up. What use am I in all this? I should've been in Hisoka's place."

"Don't say that," Taro said. "It's you who got us to this point. Without you, we all would have fallen victim to Monokuma's scheme. Can you really say that's worth nothing?"

"It's not worth nothing," I said. "It was worth Daigo's life. That's on my hands."

"Geez, Hoshi's right to be worried about you doubting yourself," Taro said. "It's what Hisoka would have wanted, and in the end I think even Daigo was happy to give himself up for all of us. We weren't able to save Daigo, but we can still save everyone else, can't we?"

"I suppose... you're right," I said. "I see why Leiko likes your company."

"It's a lot easier to please her when you're a guy," Taro replied, joking a little. "I'm sure that's part of why she likes me."

"I guess I'd better head off and find everyone else," I said. "You should probably come with. I think we could all use someone to talk to right about now."

"Thanks, I think I'll take you up on that offer," Taro said. "Otherwise, I'll just be sitting in the dining hall all by myself. That'd be pretty boring."

With that, the pair of us stood up. Together, we headed toward the door of the dining hall, and walked outside. I hoped that at the very least, we could make sure that everyone else was feeling alright in the wake of what happened, but even still a small sense of dread nagged at the very core of my being: I doubted they were alright. In fact, I doubted anyone was truly alright.

I knew that I sure wasn't.

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: We're back on track again, I guess. The killing game is really starting to create some disjunct within the group, and it's anyone's guess as to what this does to all of them. Anyway, do remember to vote in the polls: they're real important for deciding who you get to do free time events with. If you want to get to know more about a character, that's your chance._

 _By the way, if you didn't know already, the complete Free Time Events for both Daigo and Hisoka can be found in the fanfic "Danganronpa X1 Xtras: Of Hope and Happiness", as well as a third of the students' profiles. They're in an extra fic in order to save on space in this one, but I implore you to read them anyway: since this fic and the extras will be updated at the same time, it'll be the entry directly above Danganronpa X1 for this week._

 _That being said, now we're really getting back into the game itself. A lot of you suggested that I try to get around to every character in this, so I'm going to try and gauge the feelings of most of them, but I'm most importantly going to try and focus on some of the characters who didn't get so much attention in Chapter 1: getting around to everyone is going to be difficult, but I'm hoping I'll be able to._

 _Anyway, I might be real slow for the coming weeks, so I'd say to expect an update in the next week and a half. Maybe a bit longer, but I highly doubt it._ _Go give the X1 Xtras a gander in the meantime, it's basically a double update._

 _Thank you,_

 _elusiveEmperor_


	28. Chapter 2-2: A Promise

Taro and I stepped outside. Condensation still hung in the morning air, and though the weather was rather frosty, it seemed to be a lot warmer than the previous day. Still, that warmth in the air was all but compensated for by the frigid tension in the air, with suspicion and uneasiness creeping all around us. As I stepped outside, the grass was covered in a layer of light dew, and the droplets of cold water clung to my ankles as I stepped through the grass. It was a source of some discomfort, but it was nothing comparable to the torment we were all enduring otherwise.

Iyona was seated by the lake, and as she stared out across the surface of the water, she skimmed a stone: or at least tried to. The resulting plonk that emanated from the water appeared to be a source of great dissatisfaction for her, as she visibly winced as the noise reached her ears. Kiyoshi was also seated on the bank a fair way to Iyona's right, sitting by some ducks who had taken residence upon the shoreline with a small bag of bread. It seemed that the ducks were definitely trying to avoid Iyona's stone tosses, and so they naturally had begun to gravitate toward Kiyoshi. Kenji had joined her, but he appeared to be standing for some as of yet unknown reason. It was likely to avoid sitting in the condensation on the grass though, so I didn't question it. Instead, I approached Iyona with Taro following me, and decided to talk with her.

"Hey Yona," I said.

"I'm a little busy," Iyona said.

"Plonking rocks?" Taro stated.

Iyona gave him a contemptuous glare, which seemed more cutesy than it was discouraging. Still, she tried once more to throw a rock, and failed. It was relatively clear at this point that whatever skimming she was trying to accomplish, she was failing... miserably so.

"I guess you want to be alone after yesterday and all," I said.

"Sort of," Iyona said. "Yes... maybe... I don't know. I really don't."

"Do you want to talk about it?" I asked.

"Talk about the fact that two of us are dead? No, not really. I'd rather not think about it." Iyona asked rhetorically, and then sighed. "Look, I'm sorry, but I don't think even a psychiatrist could help us with what we just went through. I just want to stare at the lake for a while, watch stones plonk, and avoid people for a bit. I've never really been a fan of them anyway."

"You're not a fan of... people?" I asked.

"The people I knew..." Iyona said, and then stopped. She stared up at Taro and I for a bit, before Taro interjected.

"You know, if you have something you want to say, we're here to help," Taro said. "We need to be able to work together here, regardless of what we think of others. That's what I think anyway, don't you?"

Iyona sighed. "I've... never trusted people," Iyona said. "I'm a foster child, and I don't have that loving family you see in the sitcoms who are able to love a child regardless of whether it's theirs or not. I've only been with my new foster family for six months, and my old foster family was far from great to be around. That's why I got into Genealogy in the first place, I was trying to root out answers so I could escape from them. I gave up on my real family though."

"Why?" I asked.

"Relax Hitomi," Taro whispered to me discreetly. "Sometimes, you've got to let people share what they want to in their own time."

Iyona didn't seem to notice Taro whispering too much, either that or she ignored it. Whatever the case, she continued.

"I couldn't find so much as a shred of anything," Iyona said. "After looking for so long, I gave up. Whoever they are, they're probably long dead and they're dead to me anyway: they couldn't help me."

She looked over at the bag she carried with her. Even having supposedly given up on her family, she still stared at the bag, as if whatever it was that it contained might give her the hope she needed to continue.

"I guess though, someone wants me to keep on searching," Iyona said. "I just wish I all knew what it meant."

She unrolled the family tree, and that was when I noticed the empty slot next to her own. The family tree was huge, and filled with blank spaces. However, one in particular stood out to me. Iyona probably knew as well. Connected to her unknown parents by a branch was not only Iyona, but also another blank square which was as of yet unlabelled: Iyona wasn't alone, Iyona had a sibling somewhere out in this wide world. However, whether or not that sibling was here or out there though, we would probably never know. It was anyone's guess as to who it was, and Iyona didn't have the means to research that here.

"You have a sibling?" I asked.

"If I do, I don't know who they are," Iyona replied. "Everything about my family is surrounded in mystery. Even if I knew who they were, there's no way I could trace them. They probably didn't just try to leave me behind, they tried to escape me. Now you know why I hate my talent. The only family I can't find the truth about... is my own."

Iyona stared up at the pair of us.

"Well, I'm going to go back to throwing rocks," Iyona said. "Go find someone else to interrogate. I need to figure out how to not plop these damned rocks."

Iyona threw another stone, with about as much success as the previous one.

"Let's leave Yona for now," Taro said. "She's dealing with all of this in her own way, y'know?"

The two of us left Yona, as she wished. I felt bad the whole time. I'd been struggling with who I was supposed to be, but to not even know where you came from and to have been displaced for all of your adult life was so much worse. I didn't know what to think. I couldn't even possess the remotest understanding of what Iyona had been through, it was incomprehensible to someone like me who was met with no conflict asides petty squabbles between my parents, if that could even really be called conflict. She continued throwing those stones to the surface water. Plonk, plonk, and then finally - a satisfactory "scrick" as a single stone successfully skipped across the surface of the lake. I suppose it pleased her, since she wore an expression of accomplishment as it ricocheted off the surface of the water. With that, we wandered toward Kiyoshi and Kenji.

"Hey Taro," I asked. "What was that you whispered in my ear before?"

"Oh, it's nothing," Taro replied. "It's just a bit of sociology. People generally hate silence, so if you leave open air people are more likely to fill it by saying whatever. Sometimes, not speaking is the best thing you can do when talking, because that makes people talk about things they wouldn't otherwise. It brings you a little closer."

"I suppose you've got a point," I said, then after a bit continued on. "I mean, I have a habit of just trying to de-escalate a situation instead of trying to get to the root cause. I suppose it's because... oh."

That was when I realised that I had fallen for the very same trick that Taro had been explaining only a moment ago. We all have a desire to fill open air, because we fear silence, and I guess it was more ingrained than I'd ever realised.

"See?" Taro said. "Nifty little trick, eh?"

"I suppose," I said. "It feels a little bit shifty instead when use me as an example though."

"Don't worry about it," Taro said. "We all learn from experience, my mentor used to do stuff like that to me all the time."

"You know an awful lot about how people act," I asked. "I guess that's why they call you an Ultimate."

"I've had a lot of experience," Taro said, then paused. I stared down at the ground, then back up at him. "Looks like you're learning the basics, but it's going to take more than that," Taro added after a while.

"I guess so," I said. "Although I was pretty sure using a second-hand trick like that wouldn't have worked anyway."

"I was tempted," Taro replied.

"Does that mean I succeeded?" I asked.

"I'd say you got pretty damn close," Taro said. "Good job."

"Thanks," I said, and smiled a little. We approached Kiyoshi and Kenji. As we noticed them, we were able to observe the expressions on their faces a little better. Kiyoshi looked harrowed, and Kenji looked only slightly better. They seemed to be talking in sign, but I couldn't understand them. I guess with Taro by my side, I was the only one here out of the loop.

"Hey," Taro said to Kiyoshi. "I guess you're worried then?"

"Yeah," Kenji answered on her behalf. "She's still recouping from all that this bear's making us go through. I guess we all are, aren't we?"

"Yeah," I said. "I don't think anything back home could've prepared us for this place."

"Kiyoshi trusts in all of us," Kenji said. "But after what Daigo did, what Hiroyuki said in the trial, how Samuru's been acting, and what Noriko hid from us? I'm not sure I can do the same."

"I understand," Taro said. "Trust is earned, but at least let the rest of us earn your trust. We aren't bad people: we're just in a bad place."

"Of all of us, why Hisoka?" Kenji asked. "I really hoped he could've stayed with us, but Daigo... I can't believe it. What of that escape together? Why? Why did Monokuma have to take it all from us? I can't believe all this..."

Kiyoshi tugged on Kenji's pant legs from her position seated on the ground. She signed something to him, and then pointed to me.

"Kiyoshi... wants to ask you something, Hitomi," Kenji said.

"Huh, what is it?" I asked.

Kiyoshi flipped through her notebook, until she reached a certain page, and then presented it to me. It was a lengthy letter, that she'd obviously written at some point last night, maybe as she tried and failed to get to sleep. She still wore tired eyes as she stared up at me from the ground, presenting the pad to me. I took it and read the page.

"Dear Hitomi," it read. "Thank you for all that you've done for us, and for me especially. I guess even until the end I couldn't believe one of us had really done it. I still believe that the rest of us won't, but I want to ask you something Hitomi. Will you help to protect us from all this? I don't know what to feel, and even now I'm not sure whether I should trust in my own heart, but I know for a fact that I can trust in you and Kenji. I hope that you can trust in me too. Thank you for everything, from Kiyoshi."

Kiyoshi gave off a warm smile as I read through the small note. Kenji turned to me as well.

"She spent all of last night writing that," Kenji said. "She really believes in you, Hitomi."

"I just wished I believed in myself as much as she does," I replied. "But... I'll try my hardest. For everyone."

Kiyoshi nodded.

"Why don't you two shake on it?" Taro suggested. "A bond of trust goes a long way, and there's no doubt we need trust in a place like this."

Kiyoshi put out her hand, and I reached down. I grabbed her hand, and in that single motion I vied to protect her and everyone else here. I did not know whether I would be able to keep that promise in this place though, where something as rudimentary as survival was classified a luxury rather than a basic liberty; yet in that moment, I felt as if maybe I could help her - maybe I could help them all. Kotaro and Kenji stood there by our sides, as our outstretched hands connected, and we shook upon a promise that none of us could even guarantee. Yet, for a moment, I felt a little something. _Trust_. Amid all this suspicion, Kiyoshi had put her faith in me, and trusted me despite the natural suspicion that everyone else seemed to have. It felt... relieving.

"Well Hitomi, looks like you made a new friend," Taro said. "Good on you."

"Thanks," I replied. "Kiyoshi, if you ever need someone, you can count on me."

Kiyoshi nodded gleefully. She was one of the few people who seemed able to smile here, for whatever reason. It was genuine and heartfelt, and it made me feel as if I was doing something, even if I was convinced otherwise. She truly trusted us all, wholeheartedly and purely. It was a beautiful way to live.

Taro signed something out to Kiyoshi as well, and she smiled. We said goodbye to Kenji, and then we left to find the others. This campsite was laden with little nooks and warrens for people to occupy, and since a large portion of the group was trying to avoid one another, there were a few individuals who had decided to hide themselves in precarious locations to avoid interaction. With everyone becoming suspicious of one another, there was no doubt that many were simply trying to avoid becoming the "next victim", and their inability to understand one another due to the sheer mass of people on this camp did little to aid their troubled hearts. Yet, some of us were taking it harder than most.

Sora was not one of those individuals, but he may as well have been. He sat by the camp border, staring across the field that would bring a gruesome death to any foolhardy individual with the stomach to attempt circumnavigating it. It was a horrid thing to think about, but yet he sat there, looking longingly at those trees within the dead-zone... and beyond it. I guessed that this whole thing was troubling him, but to sit here for most of us was unthinkable. It was either a strength of constitution or or a loss of sanity that drew him here: and I couldn't imagine it being the latter.

"Hitomi, you're here..." Sora said.

"She's not the only one," Taro interjected. "Why're you sitting all the way out here anyway?"

"I guess... I just wanted to think to myself for a little bit," Sora said.

"Isn't this an odd place to think?" I asked Sora.

"I suppose," Sora said. "I was just thinking about the outside. I wonder what our parents are thinking about all this, I wonder if they know about all this, I wonder how worried sick they must be..."

"I don't think I can answer that," I replied.

"I wish someone could, but I know they can't," Sora said.

"I'm sure you'll be able to see them again though, Sora," I said. "We've got to escape together, don't we?"

"I know, and I believe that we'll be able to work together from here on in," Sora said. "But... I can't help but feel as if this hope I have... is a weakness."

"Hope's not a weakness," Taro stated. "In a place like this, all of us need hope. You've got to keep on going, man."

"What good is hope?" Sora said. "Hope tells us that the good guys always win, that villains fall and that human virtue trumps all: hope doesn't tell us that a boy our age with all the world's gifts bestowed upon him could go and... do something like that. I believed. Why did I believe?"

"Because it's better to have faith than to fear the world," I said. "If we can't have faith in someone, we'll never be able to work together... How can we help one another then?"

"I guess you're right," Sora said. "There's a way out of here, I'm sure of it. Otherwise, how would the people running this whole thing come to and from this place? There has to be an underground passage, or a tunnel, or something. We've just got to be resourceful... work towards a mutual goal, right? If we do that... Monokuma can't do anything to us."

"Monokuma hasn't done anything to us," someone said from behind, and I turned around to see who it was. Goro wandered over, with a morbid disappointment on his face. His expression was blank, but his eyes told all as he looked over at us.

"We did this to ourselves," Goro concluded. "Monokuma's a terrible creature, but that same monster was in Daigo. Monokuma was the catalyst, but he was not the cause. Monokuma is evil incarnate, but... he still relies on the evil inside of us all."

"What do you mean?" I asked Goro.

"What do you think I mean?" Goro replied. "Life has taught me never to be an optimist. There's goodness within people, but the evil in the world will always try to overpower it: reality's doing just that. I've seen it all before."

"You think... Monokuma will make it happen again?" I asked.

"I have no doubt," Goro said. "Whoever's piloting that bear, they knew exactly how to push our buttons and play to our weaknesses. If we don't get to know each other's weaknesses, Monokuma will keep playing us for fools until we're made into an eighth of what we were."

"Why would you say that?" Sora replied. "Don't you believe in everyone!?"

"I don't know everyone well enough," Goro stated.

"Can't you tell? We all have something in common here, a desire to escape?" Sora continued. "Isn't that enough to believe in us all?"

"Obviously you don't know... you don't know us all well enough," Goro said. "How can you claim to know us all, when you can't even know that for certain?"

I looked at Goro for a second. He was obviously down at the moment, but more than that, he looked like Daigo had looked. He had that same expression as he had, hiding that secret inside that truly motivated his murder. There was a closeted secret written upon his face that he refused to utter with words.

"What's wrong, Goro?" I asked. "Did something happen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary," he replied.

"Goro, I know that it's hard to tell us," Taro said. "However, if you ever need a shoulder, we're all here for you. I can see that something's eating you up inside, but please... feel free to open up to your friends: all of us."

"I guess... I'll try..." Goro started, then stammered. He coughed into his hand, then after a few seconds he crouched down, coughing continuously and unrelentlessly into the ground. He did not stop. Sitting there on the ground, he continued to cough until it was no longer air he was hacking up, but blood from his windpipe instead.

"Are you okay!?" I exclaimed.

"I'm... fine..." Goro said, as he tried to suppress his coughing fit for a moment. "It's... nothing... new... "

After a while, the coughing fit began to die down, and Goro sat up. He stared at the portion of the ground he had been coughing into, wiped his index finger across some of the red stained grass that had been left behind, and stared at his fingertip.

"Great," Goro said. "Guess it's catching up with me. I'm going to have a drink, so see you then."

With that, Goro left. The three of us sat there for a second, before Sora decided to stand as well.

"I'm going to check if he's okay," Sora said. "Thanks you guys... you really helped to pull me back on my feet."

"No probs," Taro replied. "And tell Goro that if he ever needs to talk to someone about anything, feel free to give me a call. After all, I'm not called a Guru for nothing."

"Yeah," Sora said. "I will."

"See you then, Sora," I said.

"See you," Sora replied. With that he left, and we were left sitting on the grass near the minefield. The wind blew slightly against the mildewed grass, making it float upon the air as if by magic, and the cold air had grown warmer as time had passed. The sky was blue, the grass was no longer discomforting, and it seemed as if I had made a difference by talking to everyone.

Then Taro spoke...

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: I guess I've been absent for a while, so sorry about that. I'm committed to ensuring that content comes out at a steady pace, but unfortunately the net has been down for me and university is just starting up once more, so I've got that to look forward to. That being said, the next update will likely be coming out in roughly the next two weeks. I'm trying to reach every character prior to the motive being revealed, so we should get an insight into some of their minds, but in all likelihood I may save a lucky few for post Chapter 2 depending on how much development they've already have._

 _Anyway, in more important news, I have for the most part finalised the rough plan of Chapter 2. It's all on me now to make it happen, but I've got an idea of what I'm going to do, so you can probably start preparing yourselves to look out for any small yet suggestive clues from this point onwards. I'll see you in two weeks, and apologies for my decreasing pace._


	29. Chapter 2-3: Open Book

"Hey Hitomi, can I ask you a favour?" Taro said.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I need you to keep an eye out him, and keep a secret for me," Taro said. "Could you do that?"

"What are you talking about?" I questioned him again.

"It's about Goro. I don't think he has a desire to escape," Taro said. "I'm not sure if he's suicidal or not, but from the way he's acting and from what he's said, I don't think he believes he's going to escape. He said it in response to Sora stating that everyone wants to escape, that 'you can't even know that for certain'. My experience tells me he was talking about himself."

"Huh?" I asked. "What do you mean? Of course he does, right?"

"I don't know," Taro said. "But if that's the case, I'm worried for him. Just... let's watch out for him, could you help me out with that?"

"I guess," I said. "Don't you think this is a little much to be taking in though?"

"Considering all we've been through, yeah," Taro said. "But... if I'm right, then we don't have a choice."

I sat there for a second, mulling on the thought. "You really think... he doesn't mind dying here?" I said.

"I think it's possible," Taro said.

It all seemed too much to think about. Truth be told, with what happened to Hisoka, with Daigo doing what he did, and now Taro revealing this: it was becoming too much for me to bear.

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked. "Wouldn't it be better to tell Sora or someone?"

"I guess he would be closer," Taro said. "But I don't think I want to upset him unless it's strictly necessary, you know? I know you have a strong character Hitomi, you can handle all this, but I worry for Sora in a place like this."

"Well, I guess I can try help," Hitomi said. "But... I really don't know the first thing about where to start with him."

"Just keep an eye on him, y'know?" Taro said. "Make friends with him, and all that. I'm willing to bet we could all use a little friendship in this place anyway."

Taro began to wander, and I followed him. That same frigid tension hung in the air, exacerbated by that revelation of Taro's and by all that had transpired here. I thought it could not get worse. Then, she turned up.

"Ooh, and where could you two be sneaking off to on this fine morning?" Noriko said.

I turned around. It was that very same voice, no doubt about it, and one of the few people I had meant to talk to this morning. Of course, I had been putting it off, but I guess there was no more chance I would be able to do that.

"Oh, good morning Noriko," Taro said. "What are you up to?"

"You know, the usual," Noriko said. "Prying into affairs that don't concern me, overhearing things that I shouldn't, the works. By the way Hitomi, you really do have a penchant for attracting hot goss, I should thank you!"

"Thank me for what?" I asked.

"Goro's secret, of course," Noriko said. "Just to let you know in the future, I don't like people who keep things to themselves, babe." That friendly smile was gone, and all that remained was a sinister glare. Yet, something appeared wrong with her expression. While the upper half of her face seemed to have an accusatory and scornful appearance, the bottom half was adorned with a genuine smile, and the combination of the two seemed almost fundamentally wrong. I was shocked. I had known her to be a person with no boundaries in terms of how she gathered information, but I suppose that I had fundamentally misjudged the character behind the author of those articles of hers. We all had.

"Noriko, do you mind if I ask you something?" I said.

"Sure," Noriko replied. "How can I help you?"

"I want to talk about yesterday," I said. "You said you knew that Daigo was going to kill, so why didn't you intervene and stop him?"

"I would've loved to, but it's awful hard stopping a murder plot," Noriko said. "You know, Daigo's a smart cookie, and he's been covering his tracks for months. With that much experience, a criminal like that was going to do the inevitable: all you can do is make sure they don't get away with it."

"But if you knew the whole time, why didn't you come forward?" I asked.

"Why would I?" She replied. "Your search for the truth managed to shed so much light upon that crime. Who am I to interrupt that serene revelation? What sort of truthseeker would I be if I ended it before it began? To violate the sanctity of discovery, now that would be the real travisty. I would have helped you along of course if push came to shove, but you proved something to me Hitomi: that _truth always wins_ _._ Not even I could have anticipated what happened, you shone so brightly! But still, I know how this all works. Now that I have a little something you want suppressed, I have a proposition for the pair of you."

"What do you want?" Taro asked.

"I'm interested in discovering more about everyone here, just as you two are," Noriko said. "Of course, I only have so many sets of ears here, so I wouldn't mind a little assistance of some variety."

"Well, what could you want from us anyway?" Taro said. "My position here is as a confidant and a counsellor, if you are asking me to report secrets, then I shall politely decline."

"You don't have a choice, kiddo," Noriko said. "It's either that, or I tell Goro that I know he wants to kill himself. I'm sure I could make his wish a reality as well if he so desired: but you're lucky I have a heart."

"Are you... threatening us?" Taro said.

"Bingo!" Noriko said. "I only desire to know what the hell's going on here, same as you, but know for a fact that I'll stop at nothing to find out what I need to know. Villainy like this needs to be exposed, completely and wholly: and who better to do it than Noriko Yanai, Journalist Extraordinaire!"

"You're a villain yourself," I said to her.

"Ho-hoah, well, I'm glad you recognised it," Noriko said. "You have to fight fire with fire, you know? In this world, the real villains aren't those that the law can catch, but the ones who know it inside out and fall through the cracks. Here, information is power; and as for the most powerful people on the planet: they're simply the ones with the most ears to the ground. If you want to fight that variety of villain, _then you can't do it as a hero._ "

Noriko turned her back on us.

"See you, my new little microphones," Noriko said. "You better put those ears to the grindstones, so to speak! I look forward to your cooperation!"

With that she walked off, seeming all the more confident and happy as she seemed to have a skip in her gait upon wandering away. I was hoping that maybe I was wrong about her, that maybe she was a nice person who had made a mistake: but that sort of hope was something that a person like her would exploit.

"She seemed a lot more friendly before this whole game started," Taro said. "Maybe this place is hitting her harder than everyone else?"

"I don't know," I said. "I'm not sure I can believe that."

"I guess that's true," Taro said. "It's impossible to read a person like her. I suppose all we can do is try to keep her preoccupied for the moment."

"I guess so," I said, but I was worried. Something seemed off about her, and I didn't know what it was. There was something sinister about this whole scenario. With all that was going on and the suspicion that was now deep-seated within all of us, I felt as if that quest of hers to find her 'truth' would only serve to further separate us. Worse than her pursuit of truth though were those words that she had said: that you can't fight a real villain as a hero.

"We should get a move on," Taro said. "We wanted to see how everyone's going, right? Let's not let her get in the way of that."

"You're... right," I said. "Let's get going."

Even as I wandered though, my mind lingered behind, thinking about all that she had said. She hadn't killed anyone, and I highly doubted that she would: but something about her told me that she was not somebody to place your faith in. Not that I intended to anyway, she had made it abundantly clear that she cared for nobody here. I sat down for a moment, and I stared up at Taro.

"I don't feel comfortable helping her," I said.

"We don't have to help her," Taro replied. "We just have to make her think we're helping her. Honestly, I feel the same way. You think I want to help her, of all people?"

"I guess," I said.

"Well, let's get back on track," Taro chimed. "We wanted to check up on everyone, didn't we? No way we'll do it sitting around!"

"You have a point," I said. "But... I'll be honest, there's twenty-four of us here, how are we supposed to know what each of us are thinking?"

"Twenty-two," I heard someone correct me from behind. "There's twenty-two of us here."

I turned my head around and stared. Samuru was standing there, with Seita somewhat behind him, staring down at me. Samuru looked confident, but there was a hint of uneasy anxiety upon his face - as if he was wearing a brave face. Seita was marginally less confident, standing behind his brother with an uneasy expression upon his face.

"You haven't forgot, have you?" Samuru said. "Or is it more that you refuse to accept that our lives are still at stake, Hitomi?"

"Nii-san," Seita said. "Please, don't worry the others."

"They should be worried," Samuru said. "We should all be worried. We barely had enough time to get to know one another before the last incident, and now we've got to use whatever time we've got left. Doesn't that worry us all?"

"You know," Taro said. "I get the feeling people would think you're real nice guy if you weren't so insensitive all the time, Samuru."

"What makes you think it's accidental?" Samuru inquired. "Besides, you're the people person apparently: why don't you start getting around a little more, Taro?"

"That's what we're trying to do!" I exclaimed.

"That isn't what I was talking about, Hitomi," Samuru said. "You know, I've read up on you, Taro. I don't know why, but I know you're not putting your A-Game into this. For a man who can supposedly read people, you seem awfully oblivious."

"I don't have a clue what you're on about, dude," Taro said.

"Heh, well I guess that's all the confirmation I'd need," Samuru said. "You know, in a place like this Taro, we need to all be able to work together. We all need to understand each other. I know why you're really doing this."

"Nii-san, stop it!" Seita said. "We're all... a little worried in here, aren't we? Let's not... let's not make it hard for all of us!"

"Fine," Samuru said. "Though Taro, for everyone's sakes, don't hold back."

Samuru left, and Seita followed behind. I was confused, and somewhat lost in the conversation that they had been having; it was as if I was the only one who was out of the loop here, but I wasn't entirely sure. After all, I hadn't heard much about whether Seita was oblivious or not.

"What was all that about," I asked.

"I guess someone did his research before rocking up to Tsubaki," Taro said.

"His research?" I inquired.

"Hitomi, do you mind if I show you a little party trick of mine?" Taro said.

"Sure, but what kind?" I asked.

"I guess you could call it a kind of deduction. Using things that you've already said and your appearance, I'm able to ascertain your personality and livelihood, and respond accordingly. That's why I'm called the Ultimate Guru. A counsellor observes and prescribes, but I... I infiltrate," Taro said. "For instance, I know from what you've already said that your parents have a troubled relationship, and that there's a burden on you to keep the peace between them. I overheard you talking about that at the table one night. However, there's a lot more to you than that, isn't there? That locket around your neck, for instance, seems to be relatively worn - yet the chain around your neck doesn't have any oil from your skin on it. Guess that means you like having it, but you're too insecure to wear it, huh? I'd say there's two conflicting desires behind that necklace: you're wondering whether you should do what the world demands of you or what your friends and family do. You want to carry your family wherever you go, but you think it's seen as childish, so that's why you don't wear it. You also said that you didn't believe that you were any good at philosophy despite ending up in it. I wonder if that might have something to do with those conflicting desires? However, what's really interesting is that you have begun to wear it now - which means that whatever it was that prevented you from wearing it outside here wasn't the students, since there are a few of your classmates here with you. I'm of the opinion therefore that it's not family, and it's not your school-friends who judge that necklace. Do you perhaps have a group of school friends outside of Tsubaki who judge you for your sentimental connection with your family?"

"Wait, what?" I asked. "How did you know all that?"

"Do you want me to stop?" Taro said.

"Uh, I mean it's cool and all, but I can see why you don't do it," I replied. "It seems like a bit of an invasive trick."

"Was I right?" Taro inquired.

"Scarily so," I replied.

"Yeah, which is why I try to avoid it," Taro said. "It's part of the reason why I ironically had few friends in school."

"Wait, but aren't you a friend to everyone you meet?" I said.

"I know," Taro said, and smiled. "I guess practice makes perfect, eh?"

"Heh, I guess," I said.

"Still, I'm amazing when it comes to looking at people, but I can't do much else," Taro said. "Pretty shit skill when you think about it, it just makes you look like a weirdo: that ain't a good skill for a counsellor."

"Hey, I think it's pretty cool!" I said. "Sure, it's weird, but aren't we all a little weird here? I mean, we've got some real basket-cases in this camp: but it's those little eccentricities that make life just a little more interesting."

"I suppose," Taro said.

"Anyway, as much as I hate it being done to me, it's really cool," I said. "Can you do it on other people?"

"Yeah, I can," Taro said. "Although for their sakes, I can't really tell you the results."

"Oh, damn," I said. "Still, we may as well stretch our legs a little."

I stood up, and wandered back to the main hall. Taro followed along behind me. I was beginning to regain my spirit a little, and I guess I felt a little more positively as I entered the hall. I figured I'd find someone else to talk to, if only to help raise Taro's mood a little after showing me that trick of his. Yoshimi stood in the corridor. She had found some ice-skates, from what I could see, and was staring intently at them. Well, she did enjoy ice-skating, so I suppose it was fair to her. There was one thing that stood out to me as odd though: where was it that she intended to use them?

"Yo Yosh," Taro said. "Where'd you find those?"

"These bad boys?" She replied. "They were in the school store, aren't they sweet!"

"Yeah, they're pretty cool," I replied. "What were they doing in there though?"

"I don't know," Yoshimi said. "Truth be told, I don't care. It's nice to at least have something, you know? Even if I can't use them..."

"You can't use them?" Taro asked.

"Well, there's no ice," Yoshimi said. "Unless that lake freezes over, which I doubt, then they're all but useless. It doesn't matter though, at least I've got something to hold onto, you know?"

"You seem like you're a little sad," I said.

"Well, yeah," Yoshimi said. "These skates remind me of all the good experiences on the ice, you know? But... it's sad, because I know I'll never experience them again. It's the one thing I really stuck at, you know?"

"The one thing?" I asked.

"Well, I love doing a lot of things, and I'm good at a lot of things," Yoshimi said. "I've learnt a few tricks, but I keep myself too busy to pursue anything beyond the basics. I guess what I'm saying is, ice skating was the one thing I stuck to... and now it's the one thing I can't do."

"Maybe you shouldn't take the skates?" Taro said. "I've got a feeling they're causing you more grief than good."

"I think they make me feel closer to home, but at the same time... they remind me that we're so far from it," Yoshimi said. "Maybe you're right, maybe it is for the best."

"Where did you find them anyway?" I asked. "What would Monokuma have Ice Skates for?"

A squeaky voice spoke from behind us, startling us. "You know me, I thought you might enjoy some snowsports!" It said.

I turned around. Monokuma was standing there behind me, staring up at the three of us. He was wearing his typical half-toothy smile, but behind that smile I could imagine that whoever was responsible for all this was grinning maniacally, with all of their teeth: a true monster.

"When did you get here?" Yoshimi exclaimed.

"Why, just a second ago!" Monokuma said. "You seem surprised to see me guys, have you been talking about me? Has one of you secretly, you know... fallen for the bear in the big grey house?"

"What, no!" Taro said. "Who would fall in love with you, and when did you have a grey house?"

"You'd be surprised, sonny boy!" Monokuma said. "Anyway, time's up guys! I need you all to head to the campfire, because I got some real important news."

"Important news about what?" I asked.

"Why, what else would a good bear like me want to tell you?" Monokuma said. "I just want to give you guys some tips for getting along, you know? Getting along and understanding each other is just what you wanted to do, so I figured something out..."

"Figured out what?" Taro asked.

Monokuma turned his right side towards us, and stuck his right paw up in the air: his crimson eye gleaming as he uttered a single phrase that sent shivers down our spines. With those few words he uttered, we were sent recoiling. "I figured out how to make yourselves kill each other over getting to know each other," Monokuma said. "So this game can go on!"

* * *

 _AUTHOR'S NOTES: It's been a while. I'm not really sure what to say to be honest, but I feel I should give you guys the update you've been waiting for. Sorry I've been so slow with it, but I'm getting decked by my university section, and I haven't been all that motivated since I've already been swamped. Still, I guess I'm back now, and I'll update you guys next week with the motive. This one is my own unique concoction, unlike the Seventh Day Secret Motive, so I'm really interested to hear your thoughts on it. Also, I guess we learnt a little bit about a lot of characters this chapter, especially Taro. I guess it'll be interesting to see how useful his abilities will be during a class trial, but I guess we'll have to wait for later to witness that._

 _Anyway, it's good to be back. I'll see you around._


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